Israeli President decries Hamas 'manipulation' after German media exposes 'staged' Gaza photography
Herzog urged the international community to resist falling for such distortions. 'We do not deny the humanitarian need in Gaza,' he said, 'but we ask the world not to fall for Hamas' lies. Condemn Hamas and tell them: You want to move forward? Release the hostages.'
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He emphasized that Israel has drastically increased its humanitarian aid efforts, saying: 'In the last week alone, we've brought in 30,000 tons of aid — 30 tons by air yesterday alone. The UN has almost 800 trucks they could distribute — and failed to do so. So a lot could have been done.'
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A special report by The Press Service of Israel on Thursday found that according to the UN's own numbers, a staggering 85 per cent of the aid entering the Gaza Strip by truck since May 19 has been stolen. The investigation found that a combination of black market profiteers and inflation have made much of the aid in Gaza markets unaffordable for most Palestinians.
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Palestinian sources inside Gaza told TPS-IL that much of the food in the markets originated from international aid for months — including American shipments — but is resold at inflated prices, sometimes 300 per cent. Basic staples like flour and rice, originally meant for free distribution, are reportedly diverted to private vendors.
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One Palestinian in Gaza City told TPS-IL: 'The flour — when it enters Gaza, they steal it. And now they're going to raise the price from 30 to 60 shekels ($8.80 to $17.70). It's unbelievable.'
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Professor Eytan Gilboa, an expert in international relations and media at Reichman University in Herzliya, told TPS-IL, 'There is some hunger in Gaza, and it exists only in places Hamas is pursuing it, not in other areas.'
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In 2024, experts told TPS-IL that two Gaza-based Palestinian freelance journalists committed war crimes by entering Israel during Hamas's October 7 massacres.
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