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There Is a Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza — But Not for the Reasons You’ve Been Told

Unpacking the Humanitarian Reality, Hamas’s Role, and Why the Aid Isn’t Reaching the People

Why Is the War Still Ongoing?

The primary reason there is no ceasefire deal in place is Hamas. They continue to hold 50 hostages and have refused every proposal that doesn’t guarantee their continued control over Gaza and their continued control over aid distribution. Just this week, Egyptian and Qatari mediators urged Hamas to return to the negotiating table with a more reasonable response to the plan put forward by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

Hamas is a genocidal jihadist group that glorifies death and martyrdom over life. They have shown no concern for the suffering of the Palestinian people. As one Hamas official chillingly put it, the devastation in Gaza is simply “a small price” to pay.

Gaza Humanitarian Foundation:

Since the beginning of the war, nearly 2 million tons of humanitarian aid have entered Gaza. Much of that aid was stolen by Hamas, resold to desperate Palestinians, and used to fund and compensate its terrorist fighters.

In May, Israel and the United States launched the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to overhaul the broken aid distribution system and prevent Hamas from seizing control of the supplies. The goal was simple: ensure that aid actually reaches the Palestinian people. Since its launch, GHF has already delivered over 85 million meals directly to Gazan civilians — significantly weakening Hamas’s grip on humanitarian aid.

Since May 19, aid has entered Gaza through two primary channels:

1. The GHF distribution sites, backed by the United States, where families receive weekly food packages at secure, designated locations.
2. The traditional border crossings, which continue to operate daily, coordinated with international agencies and partner countries. These shipments include raw materials for local bakeries, communal kitchens, and essential goods.

Through the GHF system, over 90 million meals have been distributed so far, with more than 2 million meals delivered daily to a Gazan population of roughly 2 million people. This has continued despite Hamas’s efforts to disrupt the process, including threats, intimidation, and the detention of local Gazans involved in aid distribution.

Through the traditional aid route, nearly 4,500 trucks have entered Gaza since May 19, averaging around 100 per day. These shipments have included essential items such as flour for bakeries and more than 2,500 tons of baby formula and high-calorie nutritional food for children.

Is there enough aid coming into Gaza?

While the GHF continues to distribute millions of meals daily, the past month has seen a sharp decline in the collection of humanitarian aid from Gaza’s border crossings by UN aid agencies. As of now, thousands of pallets and the contents of approximately 950 aid trucks remain uncollected on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Gaza and the Zikim crossing in northern Gaza.

So why isn’t aid reaching Palestinians? 

The bottleneck is not on the Israeli side. The UN is refusing to collect the aid and also refusing to coordinate with the GHF, creating the primary obstacle to a steady flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. The UN believes they alone have the ability to distribute aid in Gaza effectively.  Despite Israel’s efforts to increase the volume of aid entering the Strip, the aid cannot reach those in need if it is not picked up.

Contrary to media claims, there is no ban or restriction on aid entering Gaza, including baby formula. The aid is there; the UN is simply choosing not to collect or distribute it.

Why is the UN refusing to collect the aid?

They essentially work in partnership or collaboration with Hamas, and like Hamas, they refuse to provide Gazans with aid as long as the GHF distribution system remains operational. Additionally, the UN has demanded that Hamas “police” escort the aid convoys. Israel has rejected this demand because Hamas is known to divert and steal aid, using it as a weapon of war.

Hamas weaponizes aid by diverting it to their own warehouses and then selling it on the market at exorbitant prices. They punish anyone who interferes with this system. With its coffers depleted, Hamas’s military wing can no longer adequately pay its fighters and relies on stolen aid as a form of currency.

An Egyptian official told the Washington Post that Hamas had indeed stolen aid.

“Hamas is trying to use the aid to survive. It’s happening,” said the official. “One of the reasons Hamas is pushing for a return to the old system is that they have operatives in all of the warehouses,” said another Western official to the Post.

The presence of Gaza government employees allows Hamas to regulate and monitor market activity as well as tax or seize some of the supplies.

There Is No Famine:

Despite social media claims, there is no famine in Gaza. The declaration of famine is based on strict criteria and verified facts, not the narratives pushed by the anti-Israel movement and press.

The IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) has issued warnings about possible famine on a few occasions. However, thanks to the continuous flow of aid entering Gaza, a famine has never actually occurred, despite the ongoing hardships inside the territory.

The IPC rates an area as experiencing famine only when all three of the following conditions are met:

• At least 20 percent of households face extreme food shortages with limited ability to cope. This means they have almost no food and cannot obtain more.
• At least 30 percent of children aged six months to five years suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they are too thin for their height.
• At least two people or four children under five per 10,000 are dying daily due to starvation or the combined effects of malnutrition and disease.

To meet this last criterion, approximately 104 children or 96 adults would need to be dying each day. According to Hamas, whose claims should be treated with skepticism, around 80 children have died from malnutrition since the war began on October 7, which is far below the threshold of 104 children dying daily.

While the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is real and dangerous, almost all these deaths are also linked to severe underlying health conditions such as premature births.

This is why the IPC has declared famine only a few times, in Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and last year in parts of Sudan’s western Darfur region. Tens of thousands are believed to have died from famine in Somalia and South Sudan. Nothing comparable has occurred in Gaza.

While every death is tragic and the humanitarian crisis persists, largely due to Hamas weaponizing the suffering of their own people, the numbers do not reach the level of famine and starvation.

A senior Israeli security official states that the military has not identified famine but emphasizes the need to stabilize the humanitarian situation. Israel also holds responsibility to ensure aid reaches the people of Gaza.