humanitarian aid<\/a>. Of that total, only 27% came from UN agencies. The remainder was supplied by NGOs, donor states and private-sector providers. \u201cMost of the aid didn\u2019t come from the UN,\u201d the official said. \u201cAnd most of the denied trucks are also not theirs.\u201d<\/p>\nThe official stressed that Israel is not limiting the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza but accused UN agencies of failing to collect and distribute it effectively. \u201cThere is no limit. The problem is not entry \u2014 it\u2019s what happens inside.\u201d He pointed to the presence of over 550 aid trucks currently waiting on the Palestinian side of the crossings due to a breakdown in coordination and said that Gaza needs approximately 100 trucks of food per day to meet basic needs.<\/p>\n
United Nations agencies hire local staff affiliated with Hamas<\/h3>\n One of the army\u2019s core grievances is the UN\u2019s reliance on local staff. \u201cThe UN doesn\u2019t have the capacity to distribute. They hire locals,\u201d he said, noting that many of those individuals are directly affiliated with Hamas or operate under coercion. \u201cWhy are they not bringing international teams? They\u2019re allowed. The IDF is asking them to bring them.\u201d He emphasized that most NGOs present in the Strip had little or no operational experience in Gaza and lacked training in military coordination.<\/p>\n
The military further accused Hamas of turning humanitarian relief into a revenue and smuggling channel. \u201cEighty percent of the aid is looted \u2014 by Hamas, by gangs affiliated with Hamas or by civilians under their control,\u201d the official said. \u201cHamas defined that 15 to 25% of all aid will be automatically intercepted.\u201d According to the briefing, civilians are taxed at distribution sites, trucks are redirected or seized, and goods are sold to finance the group\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n
The army highlighted the case of Razi Hamed, a Hamas official based in Egypt, who allegedly buys flour and other supplies, then reroutes them to Gaza under the guise of NGO donations. \u201cHe takes money and moves it to Gaza. He tells Hamas which trucks to steal,\u201d the official said. Egypt was described as the central point of smuggling, with the system relying on what the military called \u201ctrusted families.\u201d<\/p>\n
To counter this, Israel has launched a new multi-stage aid mechanism designed to bypass intermediaries and reduce Hamas control. The model includes SRS-secured distribution sites, direct food delivery to civilians and aerial drops coordinated with international partners including Jordan, the UAE, France, Germany, Belgium and Canada. \u201cThe goal is to prevent the diversion of aid and the empowerment of Hamas,\u201d the official explained. \u201cWe are trying to break the cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n
That cycle, according to COGAT, begins with trucks entering Gaza through crossings like Kerem Shalom, Zikim and Rafah, where aid is then taxed, stolen or sold by Hamas, which in turn uses the proceeds to pay salaries and finance its armed wing. \u201cSince the opening of the crossings on May 18, Hamas has had financial difficulties,\u201d the official said. \u201cThat\u2019s why they want to break the new mechanism and return to the old one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The official also cited recent examples of Hamas operatives disguising themselves as civilians or humanitarian workers. In one case, an individual presented himself to M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF) as a physiotherapist and was hired as a messenger without undergoing proper vetting. \u201cHe lied to MSF and got hired without checks. He was a terrorist,\u201d the official said. After the man was killed, MSF reportedly stated publicly that Israel had struck a civilian. However, according to the official, internal communications within the organization later acknowledged the error. \u201cThey asked not to tell international media they had hired a terrorist,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He also described a deadly incident in which a Gazan man approached Israeli forces carrying what appeared to be a prayer rug. Soldiers assumed he was preparing to pray. Instead, he pulled a rocket-propelled grenade from the rug and fired, killing several Israeli soldiers during a hostage search. \u201cThey don\u2019t wear uniforms,\u201d the official said. \u201cThey take advantage of our rules of engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite operational and diplomatic challenges, Israel is continuing to expand its aid channels. Three secure roads are currently operating for delivery, with four more planned, including the Salah al-Din and export roads. The IDF is also working to open the Erez crossing. \u201cThere is enough food in Khan Yunis and the central camps,\u201d the official said. \u201cWe want to reinforce the secure roads and keep the system functional.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reiterated that Israel\u2019s goal is to isolate Hamas from the humanitarian effort and shift distribution directly to the civilian population. \u201cThis is not a failure of logistics. It\u2019s a failure of will,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re doing our best.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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