Hamas Warns Gazans Against Cooperating With Israel on Aid Delivery

Latest Developments

Palestinians cooperating with Israel to distribute aid in Gaza will be viewed as collaborators and treated with an iron fist, a Hamas-linked website said on March 11. Under Hamas rule, collaboration with Israel is a crime punishable by death. The threat likely comes in response to media reports that Israel is considering working with certain clans in Gaza to distribute aid. Israel potentially seeks to empower these clans to assert leadership roles once the Jewish state completely defeats Hamas in the enclave.

Expert Analysis

“Hamas has proved unable and unwilling to prioritize the needs of the people. New leadership structures must emerge from within Gaza to fill the vacuum. The most pressing need is to deliver aid to the Gazans who desperately need it.” — Enia Krivine, Senior Director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network

“Palestinians stepping up to facilitate increased aid distribution threatens Hamas in two ways: it establishes institutions and systems independent of Hamas, and it undermines the Hamas media narrative of starving civilians. The United States should provide strong public support to the people of Gaza to resist these Hamas threats and empower non-Hamas civic leadership.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor

Hamas Gunmen ‘Steal’ From Gazans

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has repeatedly filmed Hamas terrorists taking over aid trucks entering Gaza since October 7. In December, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released a video “in which Hamas terrorists are shown stealing food and humanitarian aid from civilians in Gaza City’s Shujaiya neighborhood and assaulting them,” Ynet reported.

Israel Not Blocking Aid

Israel has repeatedly emphasized that it is fighting against Hamas, not Palestinian civilians. Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories — the agency responsible for getting aid into Gaza — has said that “there is no limit to the amount of aid that can enter Gaza.”  Rejecting complaints from international agencies about the allegedly low volume of aid reaching Gaza, Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said on X on March 7, “Israel is letting adequate aid in, but the aid distribution mechanisms in Gaza are plainly inadequate. Because the UN relies on [the] Hamas front UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency] and Hamas protection. So we’re working on new ways with [the] private sector, to compensate for that systemic failure.”

Related Analysis

“Welcome to Port Gaza?” by David Daoud and Bill Roggio

“Gaza Airdrop Kills Five, Highlighting Distribution Challenges,” FDD Flash Brief

“Biden to Announce U.S.-Built Gaza Aid Pier at State of the Union,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel Facilitates Record Aid to Gaza,” FDD Flash Brief