“There is no shortage of essential products in the [Gaza] Strip whatsoever,” said Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, in response to a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the E3—France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
“We express our deep concern at the Government of Israel’s announcement on 2 March to halt all entry of goods and supplies into Gaza,” the E3 said on March 5.
“We call on the Government of Israel to abide by its international obligations to ensure full, rapid, safe and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance to the population in Gaza,” it added.
In reply, Israel’s Foreign Ministry noted that it had accepted U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal to extend the temporary ceasefire through the Ramadan and Passover holidays, on condition that Hamas continued to release hostages. Hamas rejected that offer.
The ministry also pointed out that during the first stage of the ceasefire (Jan. 19-March 1), 25,000 aid trucks entered Gaza. “There is no shortage of essential products in the Strip whatsoever. The only humanitarian suffering in Gaza is that of the Israeli hostages, who are being chained, starved and held in Hamas’s tunnels,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry stated.
“Moreover, Hamas is taking over the aid that enters Gaza and is exploiting it in order to rebuild its war machine. The aid trucks have become an economic engine for Hamas. Half of Hamas’s budget in Gaza comes from these trucks,” it said.
Stolen humanitarian aid became the economic lifeline for Hamas during the current Gaza war, handing it profits estimated at a half-billion dollars, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the issue of Hamas exploiting aid for its benefit at a Sept. 4 press conference in Jerusalem, promising that Israel would in time strip the terrorist group of its ability to use the aid for financial gain.
The Foreign Ministry quoted former U.S. President Joe Biden, who said on Oct. 18, 2023, that if Hamas “diverts or steals” the aid, then “it will stop the international community from being able to provide” it.
“Aid that goes to Hamas is not humanitarian. Enabling the enemy to resupply itself so it can regroup and attack you again is not humanitarian—it is suicidal and will not be allowed,” the Foreign Ministry said.
David Mencer, spokesman for the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, told press on March 3: “It is Hamas who is harming the Gazan population. Hamas systematically takes the humanitarian aid and sells it to support their own terror. ... Hamas could be humanitarian but they’ve in fact been barbarian.”
