FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2, 2024
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gaza residents are condemning Hamas for stealing their food and humanitarian aid, according to a resurfaced video and reporting by Israeli media. The report highlights a Palestinian woman who accuses Hamas of taking humanitarian aid for themselves along with a “UNRWA [United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East] facility full with food and drinks, that most likely remained undistributed to starving Gaza residents . . .”
Key Excerpts – Rough Translation from Hebrew
- “Conditions are tough and the aid isn’t arriving to us. There’s no aid. They [Hamas] have all taken it down below [the tunnels.] The aid isn’t getting to the people. All this aid is supposed to get to us. I’m speaking and unafraid of them [Hamas.] I’m also speaking to them. All the aid getting to Gaza is going to their [Hamas] homes. They [Hamas] take it, fire at us, and do whatever they want.”
- “I want to tell Hamas, may Allah revenge you, may Allah curse you and your father and whoever brought you into this world. Sinwar, may Allah take revenge on you. You brought us devastation . . . we were separated from our families, from our kids, from our wives. Release these hostages! Sinwar is hiding underground, he and Mohammad Daif and the despicables with them. We don’t even have water.”
- [There is a] UNRWA facility full with food and drinks, that most likely remained undistributed to starving Gaza residents who decided to raid what’s there. The photos [of the supply] evoked criticism among Gazans, who are furious at the UN’s assistance agencies whose mission is to disburse humanitarian aid.
- A low-level UNRWA worker emphasized the troubling phenomenon articulated by Palestinians: “I was stunned and shocked by the quantity of food, cleaning the supplies; mattresses and tens in large amounts; that had accumulated in the warehouses.”
*Rough English translations provided by The 10/7 Project.
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