Recent accusations that Israel is deliberately starving the people of Gaza by blocking humanitarian aid have spread quickly across headlines and social media. Not surprisingly, the world promptly embraced yet another narrative painting Israel as the villain.
But are these claims grounded in fact?
What Is Causing the Problem of Aid to Gaza?
Once aid from international sources has been acquired, it is loaded onto trucks and carried to tightly controlled border crossings. Israel then facilitates the entry of aid into Gaza, where the food and medical supplies are then picked up by UNRWA and other UN agencies for distribution. But these agencies often coordinate with Hamas, which regularly seizes the aid for its fighters or black-market sales, or the supplies are hijacked by powerful tribal families who take it for themselves, depleting the supply for civilians. If aid is not getting to people, the problem does not begin with Israel, but with who controls its distribution once in Gaza.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)
To cut Hamas and tribal families out of the aid food chain and help food actually reach vulnerable Palestinians, the United States and Israel backed a private initiative in 2025 called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). This foundation was created as an alternative to the United Nations with the goal of bypassing Hamas/UN systems and delivering food more directly to those who need it most.
In addition to the tons of aid entering Gaza by truck, starting this past July, Israel—in coordination with the United States, Jordan, and the UAE—has airdropped aid at gathering points at specific times, to which civilians have been alerted.
Accusations against GHF Aid
As soon as the GHF food distribution program was announced, a plethora of international and humanitarian organizations began to call for it to be shutdown. The outcry was so immediate that it was clear the opposition was not about anything GHF had done but its intention to bypass the UN channels controlled by Hamas and provide food directly to the people. Over the next three months, GHF had distributed 100 million meals under the protection of the IDF; however, they were accused of distributing food in active combat areas due to the IDF presence, which was there for protection, and for not distributing enough food since they were operating in the IDF-controlled south while many Gazans were in Hamas-controlled Gaza City.
Can the UN Be Trusted?
The United Nations has consistently been a mouthpiece for Hamas and misrepresented GHF’s work and denied its aid contributions. Positive reports have been buried, while adverse reports have dominated the news. These recent accusations are yet another example of selective reporting, which has created an illusion that Israel is withholding aid to Gaza and starving its people.
Even GHF humanitarian staff, including Christian workers, have been harassed or blocked, and there is evidence that the United Nations has minimized or undercounted shipments and shifted metrics, like what counts as “aid trucks,” to fit their narrative of lack.
And not surprisingly, the UN and Hamas began circulating stories of hundreds killed or injured from being crushed by the Israeli airdrops or of civilians being shot near GHF distribution sites. In reality, the number killed is grossly inflated. In one instance, a parachute failed to deploy correctly, causing a pallet of aid to fall onto a group of people waiting for supplies. Though the loss of life is terrible, the number was nowhere near the hundreds as claimed
Can the Media Be Trusted?
Not only are Hamas terrorists part of the United Nations, but some are journalists with Arab media and have had a great influence. Their narrative that Israel is starving Gazans has been embraced and amplified by mainstream media. Consider the widely circulated photographs of an emaciated Palestinian boy—images published by the New York Post and echoed in outlets around the world. In truth, the boy had a preexisting condition that contributed to his gaunt look. (Israel had even transported the boy to Italy to receive care.) Many other examples of images in newspapers and on magazine covers show what appear to be starving families and children. In actuality, those images are staged, but by the time they circulate in the media, the damage is done. Israel is seen as the evil oppressor holding back food and aid to innocent people.
Is Israel to Blame?
The humanitarian aid situation in Gaza is a genuine concern. But there is a disparity between public statements about the aid and the actual situation. The problem lies with Hamas, UN mismanagement, and corrupt family clans. It’s the same old story of Hamas and the UN manufacturing, politicizing, or magnifying what’s really happening in Gaza to fit a narrative of Israel as the bully.
Behind the images and false storyline that Israel is starving Gaza is a carefully constructed propaganda campaign that twists the truth, manipulates data, and redirects responsibility away from who is truly causing the suffering.
This article was originally published on September 3, 2025 at: www.icejusa.org/2025/09/03/is-israel-withholding-aid-to-gaza Used with permission
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Mahmoud Khaled / Stringer
