Recent demonstrations in the Gaza Strip against soaring food prices were orchestrated by Hamas to let Palestinians blow off steam while demonizing Israel, local sources told Channel 12 News on Thursday.
The protests, which were held last week in Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat and Khan Yunis, were “directed and controlled” by Hamas, according to sources close to the terrorist group cited in the report.
The goal of the rallies was to “continue to delegitimize Israel in sight of the international community, as well as to release pressure,” they said.
The report noted that while last week’s demonstrations were held in the presence of armed Hamas members, the terrorists did not move to disperse them as they have done with similar protests in the past.
Protesters called for costs to be brought in line with Hamas-backed price lists, and the rallies were inexplicably dropped within days—despite there being no real change in the cost of goods.
Earlier this year, Channel 12 revealed that Hamas has profited by at least a half billion dollars from humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, by stealing it and selling it to the population at premium prices.
According to intelligence obtained by the Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) earlier this year, Hamas terrorists steal at least 60% of the aid entering Gaza through the Jewish state.
Jerusalem has been under pressure from the Biden administration to allow more humanitarian aid in from the war’s start, with President Joe Biden promising that if aid ended up in the hands of Hamas it would cease.
Earlier this week, the Israeli government approved a series of measures to expand the entry of aid ahead of a Nov. 13 deadline set by Biden to implement 15 policy changes or risk an arms embargo.
On Nov. 11, State Department officials said the U.S. will not withhold arms from Israel.
The following day at a press briefing, Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson, said that Israel had taken “a number of steps to address the measures laid out in the letter,” and as such, “we at this time have not made an assessment that the Israelis are in violation of U.S. law.”
When asked whether Israel would face any consequences, Patel responded: “I certainly don’t have a change in U.S. policy to announce today.”
He added that Israel still must take “additional steps” to improve the humanitarian conditions in the coastal enclave, echoing Secretary of State antony Blinken, who earlier said that Israel must ensure “those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
