A large stock of baby food and nutritional drinks intended for infants and young children is said to have been withheld by Hamas during the worst hunger crisis in Gaza. This is according to the US-based Palestinian activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, who has long been a vocal critic of the organization.

Alkhatib has posted video footage on social media allegedly showing a Hamas-controlled warehouse belonging to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The footage shows hundreds of packages of infant formula and nutritional drinks stacked on the floor. He claims that this occurred at the same time as the international community reported widespread malnutrition among children in the area, a fact also highlighted by the New York Post here.

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According to Alkhatib, Hamas has over the past six months “hidden literal tons of infant formula and nutritional drinks” in secret warehouses. He believes that the purpose was to worsen the hunger situation and reinforce the narrative of a famine in order to influence the international community’s perception of Israel’s warfare and to regain control of aid distribution from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

“During the worst of the days of the hunger crisis in Gaza in the past six months, Hamas deliberately hid literal tons of infant formula and nutritional shakes for children by storing them in clandestine warehouses belonging to the Gaza Ministry of Health,” writes Alkhatib on X.

Exploiting the population

During this time, Alkhatib accused Hamas of exploiting the suffering of the civilian population in its conflict with Israel. He argues that the organization must be held accountable for its role in both the famine and the ongoing destruction in Gaza. At the same time, he emphasizes that it is entirely possible to express sympathy for Palestinian civilians and demand that Israel facilitate aid deliveries, without ignoring Hamas’ responsibility.

Israel has consistently dismissed allegations that its military offensive caused a famine. According to Israeli officials, the hunger has instead been caused by Hamas seizing and redirecting aid, leading to shortages in certain areas.

“Never allow yourself to become a useful idiot in Hamas’ propaganda,” he concludes.

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