by Israel National News
A COGAT report warns that excess humanitarian aid entering Gaza is being exploited by Hamas to tighten control and finance operations.
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| Aid Trucks Yonatan Sindel/Flash90 |
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) sent a strategic warning to the political echelon recently, according to which the scope of the humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip is double what is required and, in effect, fuels Hamas.
An internal document written by Major General Yoram Halevi and revealed in Israel Hayom states that Gaza only requires approximately 250 trucks of aid a day to meet its basic humanitarian needs. However, Israel allows 600 trucks to enter daily, mainly due to commitments to ceasefire agreements.
A professional study conducted by COGAT with intelligence officials and international bodies found that Hamas systematically exploits the "substantial surplus" of aid in the enclave.
The document states that "each truck beyond the humanitarian requirement, in effect, strengthens Hamas," since the organization takes control of the goods, taxes local merchants, and collects food in its storehouses.
These actions allow Hamas to maintain its civil control over the population by creating a system of economic dependence and exclusive control over the distribution frameworks and the market.
Beyond strengthening Hamas's control, the document also warns that the huge number of trucks makes it difficult for the security forces to conduct quality inspections, dramatically increasing the chance for smuggling. According to the data, over 75% of the contraband detected contained tobacco and cigarette products, a product of enormous economic value that Hamas uses to finance its activities. In addition, attempts to smuggle sensitive dual-use materials were detected. Additionally, forces also caught attempts to smuggle sensitive multi-use substances.
Israel National News
Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/426946
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