by The Media Line Staff
As the UN is declaring famine in Gaza City, Gazans tell The Media Line that Hamas is responsible for the lack of food.
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The UN is preparing a declaration of famine in Gaza City, holding Israel responsible for the humanitarian crisis under its revised criteria, in spite of footage and testimony that Hamas is looting aid and manipulating media coverage.
The Media Line’s reporter has been speaking to Gazans throughout the war. The following is a sampling of their responses. TML was also in Gaza City and witnessed a large amount of humanitarian aid available, including an abundance of food, but offered at exorbitant prices.
The situation for those living several miles away in the refugee camps has been complicated by the lack of access to food available in other areas.
Who is to blame in Gaza?
Gazans described Hamas looting aid and reselling it. “First of all, we have no food, no water, none of life’s basics. And second, we never see any of the aid that comes in,” Ibrahim Atta Hawila of Jabalya said. “Hamas takes the aid. They don’t want anyone else to be in control. They seize it, store it in warehouses, keep what they want, and hand us lentils.”Ali Khamis al-Tanini, also from Jabalya, expressed grief over the loss of three grandchildren as the crisis continues: “We can’t find food. I have heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. I can manage a day or two without food, but the children can’t. This little girl can’t eat, can’t even stand; she hasn’t had anything. Why did Hamas leave us with nothing while they eat lamb and beef?”
Others voiced the same anger. Ahmad Fayad told The Media Line that his young daughter had gone 10 days without milk. “I hold Hamas responsible. They’re the ones who brought us to this point. I blame Hamas, and I also blame the Arabs - and even the Jews.”
Ne’ma Abu Saleh said, “Others are eating and stealing, while we sit here with nothing. I blame Hamas.”
He continued, “Let them release the hostages and stop dragging us into their problems. What do they want from us? Our homes are already destroyed.”
From Gaza City, Abdul Rahim Bakr pointed out that Hamas was engaged in “oppression, heavy taxes, forced collections, the killings, the masked gunmen, and their acts of terror.” He added, Hamas doesn’t “have enough men, so they pay mercenaries to steal the aid and block American assistance. They grab the shipments meant for schools, then use the stolen aid money to pay salaries.”
Where do Gazans want to go?
Many declared they want to leave Gaza altogether for at least a chance for a better situation. Ibrahim Atta Hawila, from Jabalya refugee camp said, “Let me leave right now. I’ll only come back when someone other than Hamas controls this land.” Regarding Israel and Hamas, Hawila said, “They are both killing us.”“I swear, I’ll migrate anywhere, even Somalia,” al-Tanini said. “The Somalians live better than us now. Even if Somalia is targeted, I’d still rather go there.”
He added, “I swear, even if the Jews ruled us again but gave us a decent life like before, we would accept it.”
Bakr commented, “Everyone wants to leave, because Hamas is the cause of all this destruction.”
Who do the Palestinian people want to lead Gaza after the war
When asked who should lead Gaza, several pointed to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.One Gazan resident told The Media Line, “We want President Abu Mazen back in Gaza. I appeal directly to him to take charge. Before 2006, life was better.”
He explained, “As a Gazan, I’ve suffered 18 years of Hamas’s rule. I had a workshop that was destroyed because of them. Now I demand the Palestinian Authority return - with one law, one leadership and one legitimate weapon.”
Bakr expressed a desire for a unified leadership to govern both the West Bank and Gaza: “We want one leadership to govern Gaza the day after this war - institutions, like in the West Bank. We want to resist the occupation with the president’s method: decisions, pens, cameras - nothing but peaceful resistance.”
COGAT’s response to Gaza famine allegations
Bakr concluded by urging Gazans to rise up: “Those who fight are starving us, robbing us, killing our children, bringing the Israelis here and giving excuses to both Israel and Hamas. People must unite against Hamas.”Following a declaration of famine in Gaza City by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system (IPC), Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories released a detailed rebuttal in the form of a counter-report.
COGAT emphasized that more than 10,000 aid trucks have entered Gaza since May and that the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distributed over 2.2 million relief packages.
It cited recent steps to alleviate the crisis, including daily humanitarian pauses and expanded airdrops, while accusing international aid agencies of failing to deliver supplies efficiently. COGAT also released an infographic showing average food prices in Gaza and downplayed the impact of an earlier 11-week closure of aid crossings, which it referred to only as a “temporary closure.”
COGAT’s report is intended to offset pervasive media coverage by major outlets, including the BBC and the New York Times, falsely accusing Israel of using starvation tactics against the Gazan population.
The Media Line Staff
Source: https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-865128
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