New data released last week by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) indicates that the majority of its aid entering the conflict-ridden Gaza Strip has been looted within the Palestinian territory. UNOPS is responsible for providing management services for the UN’s own humanitarian operations.
Despite these findings, condemnation of Israel regarding the hunger crisis in Gaza has intensified. This has led an increasing number of Western governments to announce intentions to state as punishment, and has caused some media outlets to completely overlook the roles played by both international humanitarian organizations and Hamas – whose October 2023 mass terror attack in Israel initiated the nearly two-year-long conflict – in this unfolding catastrophe.
“No one seems capable of acknowledging nuance or multiple realities in this conflict, which explains why everyone from journalists, NGOs, UN officials, pro-Palestinian supporters, activists, and advocates simply repeat the same narrative: that no aid is being stolen and that Israel is entirely to blame,” , a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, reportedly stated to Digital.
The Gaza-born American individual commented that while the U.N. and other NGOs are “playing politics” by disregarding their own shortcomings to secure funding and due to their fear of Hamas, Israeli leaders are simultaneously “exaggerating” assertions that Hamas is solely responsible for aid pilfering. As a keen observer of the situation in Gaza, he detailed a sequence of theft and exorbitant price increases carried out by civilians and merchants, all of which have exacerbated the suffering in the region.
He further noted that declarations by certain Israeli government ministers regarding the cessation of aid to compel Gazans to leave the territory have also been unhelpful.
“Their remarks have overshadowed everything else; no amount of evidence, clarification, or nuance will manage to capture as much public attention,” the individual concluded.
Farhan Aziz Haq, spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, confirmed to Digital that aid had indeed been stolen. However, he attributed this to the scarcity of supplies entering Gaza in recent months, leading “people facing hunger [to have] resorted to offloading supplies directly from our convoys,” he said.
“We acknowledge the frustration, but it’s important to clarify: this is not how our system is designed to operate. This situation arises when aid is forced through too few entry points after prolonged periods of deprivation,” he asserted, further claiming that “only a consistent, dependable flow of aid and commercial goods can re-establish people’s trust that assistance will reach them and facilitate secure, organized distributions,” he claimed.
Data published by the , the U.N. Office for Project Services, indicates that approximately 87%, or 1,753 out of 2,013 aid trucks that entered Gaza since May 19, failed to reach their intended recipients. This aid was reportedly stolen either “peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors.”
This data, which highlighted that an unprecedented 90 trucks carrying approximately 1,695 tons of aid were plundered on May 31 alone, coincides with the widespread circulation of distressing images depicting emaciated Palestinian children – some of which were subsequently revealed to be children with utilized as propaganda by Hamas.
The disclosures regarding the U.N.’s flawed aid system also surface amidst global criticism of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). This new U.S. and Israel-supported aid distribution mechanism was partly designed to prevent aid from falling . The U.N. has declined to collaborate with the GHF. On Sunday, the aid organization declared it had provided nearly 105 million meals to Gazans since its launch in May.
Furthermore, these revelations starkly contrast with reports from certain media outlets that opted to overlook evidence of Hamas stealing and reselling aid to finance its continued conflict. These reports seemingly aim to imply that Israel is employing starvation as a war tactic or perpetrating “genocide,” claims which Israel has vehemently denied.
A recent article published in the even asserted there was “no proof” of Hamas stealing U.N. aid, despite numerous documented testimonies, including those from liberated Israeli hostages who recounted seeing hoards of U.N.-branded goods within Hamas tunnels.
Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, stated that human rights organizations and many media outlets not only based their erroneous reports on information from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas, but also failed to “take the nature of Hamas seriously.”
“Hamas is not the world’s most trustworthy source,” he commented, adding that “the international media and other sources do not account for Hamas’s interests or strategy, and they appear to disregard that Hamas desires a chaotic environment in the Gaza Strip. Hamas seeks a high number of casualties among Palestinian civilians, as this serves their objectives.”
“One only needs to listen to what Hamas leaders have been saying since October 7,” Michael continued. “They have vowed to repeat October 7 repeatedly, urged the Arab world to join the armed resistance against Israel, and called on the Arab public to pressure their governments.
“They have also publicly and loudly stated that they have no issue sacrificing an additional 100,000 Palestinian civilians for the sake of victory,” he noted.
Nevertheless, the GHF has faced intense scrutiny and been blamed for the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. This criticism comes amidst daily reports from Hamas-affiliated entities detailing civilian deaths at or near GHF aid distribution points, and alongside chaotic visuals of people scrambling for food packages or seeking cover from gunfire. The new organization has retaliated, asserting that Hamas, the U.N., and other international aid agencies are merely hoping for the initiative to falter so they can maintain exclusive control over all aid operations in Gaza.
On Friday, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, traveled to southern Gaza to inspect one of the GHF’s aid distribution locations.
“Entered Gaza today and observed the humanitarian food program by the U.S.-launched GHF. Hamas despises GHF because it delivers food to people without it being plundered by Hamas. Over 100 MILLION meals served in 2 months,” Huckabee posted on X.
, director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated that responsibility should not be solely attributed to one party, but that “by presenting the U.N.’s own records, we can bring objectivity to the discussion.
“There’s an extensive debate surrounding the GHF that won’t be resolved today,” he observed. “However, in a humanitarian emergency, ensuring people are fed must be the absolute highest priority, and I believe it is essential for the U.N. and GHF to collaborate on this effort.
“My hope is that by delivering substantial amounts of food into Gaza, you can assist innocent, suffering individuals and also significantly reduce the black market prices exploited by Hamas, which they use to control their population,” Makovsky concluded.