Israeli officers say no proof Hamas stole UN aid in Gaza

Two senior Israeli army officers have told The New York Times there is no evidence that Hamas looted UN humanitarian aid in Gaza – directly contradicting a key justification used by the Israeli government to block food deliveries for months to more than two million people.

The unnamed officers, along with two other Israeli officials involved in aid oversight, said the UN’s aid distribution mechanism, long criticised by Israel, was in fact “largely effective in providing food to Gaza’s desperate and hungry population.”

“For nearly two years, Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid,” the Times reported, noting that this accusation has been repeatedly cited by the Israeli government as the reason for pushing Gaza's besiged population towards famine and restricting humanitarian supplies.

However, the officials admitted, “there was no evidence that Hamas regularly stole from the United Nations, which provided the largest chunk of the aid.”

Georgios Petropoulos, who coordinated UN humanitarian efforts with Israeli authorities during the war, voiced frustration over the long-standing accusations.

“For months, we and other organisations were dragged through the mud by accusations that Hamas steals from us,” Petropoulos said.