Hamas steals the aid entering Gaza and that's why Palestinians are starving.

"No electricity, no food, no fuel." Those were the words of Israel's "Defense" Minister Yoav Gallant on the third day of the genocide. If this is not proof of a deliberate starvation policy, then what is?

The claim that Hamas steals aid is a propaganda tactic that diverts attention from Israel's settler-colonial regime. Starvation in Gaza is the result of Israel's two-decade blockade, intensified since October 2023, through border closures, inspection bottlenecks, severe restrictions on lifesaving aid, fuel, food, and electricity, the denial of safe humanitarian access, attacks on humanitarian workers, aid convoys, and humanitarian facilities, further compounded by relentless bombardment and repeated forced displacement.

This claim has been thoroughly discredited. States, UN bodies, and humanitarian organizations have all stated there is no evidence that Hamas steals aid. Even the Israeli army has acknowledged there is no proof that Hamas stole humanitarian aid. At the same time, these same actors have been explicit about the cause of starvation in Gaza: Israel's blockade, restrictions on aid, and attacks on aid convoys and workers. In August 2025, the IPC, the global authority on famine, confirmed famine in Gaza Governorate, attributing it to relentless destruction, mass displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access.

Not only is this claim false, it also deliberately reduces Hamas to its military wing. Since its establishment in 1987, Hamas has built an extensive network of charities and social welfare institutions, providing healthcare, education, food and cash assistance, and support for vulnerable families. Since becoming Gaza's governing authority in 2007, those services have continued through both government ministries and social welfare networks, despite operating under occupation and blockade.

During the genocide, Israel deliberately attacked Gaza's civilian police units that have been safeguarding international aid convoys, dismantling the security infrastructure that enabled safe distribution. This was even acknowledged by Israel's closest ally, the United States. The result was a breakdown in order and looting by criminal gangs, which the Israeli government weaponized. Netanyahu himself admitted that Israel was funding these groups, a policy that fueled chaos and intensified Israel's deliberate starvation policy.

Not only did Israel deliberately starve an entire population, it also turned so-called "aid distribution sites" into death traps, with nearly 1,300 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces while trying to access food in just two months during 2025.

As of September 2025, over 440 Palestinians, including 147 children, have died of hunger as a result of Israel's deliberate policy of starvation. And still, the claim being debated is whether Hamas steals aid, instead of why Palestinians are dependent on aid to begin with. That alone reflects the level of dehumanization Palestinians are facing.