Widow of Hamas chief smuggled out of Gaza with large sum of cash – and is already remarried
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
USAID, Reuters dismiss mountain of evidence showing Hamas steals humanitarian aid
The study's acknowledgment of severe limitations, combined with extensive documentation of Hamas aid diversion from multiple sources, raises serious questions about the reliability of its findings. A deeply flawed US government analysis, published by Reuters on Friday, astonishingly concluded there was no evidence of systematic theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian supplies. This finding directly contradicts overwhelming evidence and testimony, raising serious questions about the report's methodology and its challenge to the rationale for Israeli and US backing of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The critical flaw? This unsound analysis conspicuously ignored a mountain of evidence demonstrating systematic aid theft by Hamas throughout the 600-plus-day war. The USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance study, completed in late June and first reported by Reuters on Friday, examined 156 incidents of theft or loss reported by aid partners between October 2023 and May 2025. The analysis concluded there were "no reports alleging Hamas" benefited from US-funded supplies. However, the study's own acknowledgment of severe limitations, combined with extensive documentation of Hamas aid diversion from multiple sources, raises serious questions about the reliability of its findings. Study's acknowledged blind spots The USAID analysis itself candidly identified several critical limitations that may explain why it failed to detect what Palestinians on the ground describe as systematic theft: The study noted that because aid recipients cannot be vetted, supplies could have reached Hamas administrative officials without detection. Additionally, BHA staff lost access to classified intelligence systems during USAID's recent dismantlement, potentially missing crucial intelligence reports on Hamas diversions. Perhaps most significantly, the study relied entirely on self-reporting from aid organizations operating in what analysts describe as a "mafia-like" environment controlled by Hamas through violence and intimidation. "No organization wants to admit it handed over some aid to terrorists or mafia gunmen," noted a Jerusalem Post analysis in May. "But the organizations also know if they condemn Hamas, then they could be in danger." 'They're criminals, like ISIS' Just weeks before the USAID study was completed, Gaza residents were telling Israeli officials a dramatically different story. In recorded conversations released by the IDF, Palestinians described how Hamas systematically disrupts aid distribution to maintain control over supplies. "They don't want the people to receive aid, they want to foil the plan so that the aid will go to them, allowing them to steal it," one Gaza resident told a Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) officer in May. "They live on the aid... they want aid to come in through the United Nations and international organizations so they can steal it... I swear to you, they're criminals, like ISIS." Another civilian employed by World Central Kitchen provided direct testimony about theft: "When the supplies arrive, they try to steal." The testimonies also revealed the deadly consequences for Palestinians who attempt to bypass Hamas's control. "They killed my cousin yesterday because he went to UNRWA," one resident was recorded saying in a January conversation, referring to Hamas's murder of civilians seeking aid outside their system. In response to inquiries from The Jerusalem Post, the IDF reiterated the military's coordination with humanitarian efforts while condemning Hamas's exploitation of aid: "The IDF operates, and will continue to operate, in accordance with the directives of the political echelon. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves the population and endangers it to maintain its rule in the Gaza Strip. Hamas does everything in its power to block humanitarian aid, directly harming Gazan civilians." The statement emphasized that the IDF has enabled the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation to operate independently in distributing aid, while securing new distribution zones to facilitate orderly food deliveries, even as military operations continue. Since May 19, humanitarian transfers to Gaza have resumed through two primary channels: distribution centers run by the US-backed organization and UN-coordinated aid. According to internal figures shared with the Post by military officials coordinating aid operations, nearly 4,500 humanitarian trucks have entered Gaza since May 19, split evenly between distribution centers and supplemental routes. These deliveries included 1.5 million weekly family food parcels, 2,500 tons of infant formula, and bulk supplies for bakeries and kitchens. The GHF, established specifically to bypass Hamas control, has also faced severe retaliation. By June, GHF reported that 12 of its local staff had been murdered and others tortured. Hamas has repeatedly attacked GHF distribution sites, with witnesses reporting deliberate shooting at civilians attempting to collect aid. 'The warehouse is at full capacity' Israeli intelligence has also intercepted revealing Hamas communications. In September 2024, N12 broadcast that a Hamas terrorist was recorded discussing stolen humanitarian aid: "At this point, we have everything... The warehouse is at full capacity." Even Palestinian Authority officials have contradicted the USAID findings. In April 2025, PA President Mahmoud Abbas blamed Hamas for aid lootings in the Gaza Strip, with WAFA quoting a presidential statement saying that "it held Hamas-affiliated gangs primarily responsible." Abbas emphasized that all of the looting gangs were "known to the Palestinian public and will top the blacklist to be held accountable and brought to justice in accordance with the law at the appropriate time." Aid crisis deepens as Israel disputes USAID findings The urgency of the aid situation was underscored Thursday when UNICEF warned that "severe malnutrition is spreading among children faster than aid can reach them, and the world is watching it happen." The UN agency called for "unfettered aid access to children in need," highlighting the devastating humanitarian impact of the ongoing crisis. Yet the core question remains: why isn't aid reaching those desperate children? In a statement to thePost, David Mencer, spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office, offered a starkly different explanation than the USAID report: "Israel facilitates thousands of aid trucks into Gaza, but we know from multiple intelligence and international sources that Hamas diverts between 30% and 50% of that aid for its own use." This assessment directly contradicts the USAID findings and aligns with testimonies from Gaza residents and Palestinian Authority officials. "They steal food, fuel, and medicine meant for civilians, hoard it in their tunnels, and sell it on the black market to fund their war machine," Mencer added. "Hamas deliberately exploits the aid to starve their own people." The Israeli government's position suggests that the malnutrition crisis UNICEF describes isn't solely a matter of access, but rather a deliberate strategy by Hamas to weaponize humanitarian suffering - a claim supported by multiple Palestinian testimonies but notably absent from the USAID analysis. Also notably absent was any mention of the increasing number of truckloads of aid waiting for the UN and other international aid groups on the Gaza side of the border. The UN has blamed bureaucracy, but the GHF and the IDF have both separately attempted to offer solutions to the idling aid. A narrow scope While the USAID study noted 'no reports alleging Hamas' stole US-funded aid within the confines of the 156 incidents it reviewed, this exceedingly narrow finding stands in stark contrast to the overwhelming and documented broader reality in Gaza. The study's acknowledged limitations - including inability to vet recipients, loss of classified intelligence access, and reliance on organizations with strong incentives not to report Hamas involvement - suggest its findings should be viewed as incomplete rather than definitive. Yet despite these significant limitations, Reuters' reporting on the study came with a definitive headline proclaiming "no evidence of massive Hamas theft of Gaza aid" - a framing that obscures the report's narrow scope and methodological constraints. This pattern of transforming qualified findings into absolute declarations reflects a troubling trend in coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict, where complex realities are reduced to misleading soundbites. 'Reuters' claim that there's 'no evidence' Hamas has profited from aid ignores mounting documentation and misleads the public in ways that fuel both antisemitism and conflict.' Jacki Alexander, the Global CEO of media watchdog HonestReporting, told the Post. 'This push to absolve Hamas only prolongs the war and endangers civilians. 'The media has a responsibility to report facts, not push narratives that shield terrorists and shift blame onto their victims.' She added. As warnings of hunger mount in Gaza, the disconnect between the USAID report and the testimonies of Palestinians living under Hamas control highlights the challenges of delivering assistance in a territory where aid flows, but too often into the hands of terrorists rather than starving families. Ultimately, for the civilians of Gaza, who risk their lives simply trying to access food aid, the academic question of whether Hamas's systematic theft can be documented matters far less than the brutal reality they face attempting to get their next meal. Solve the daily Crossword
CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
US government review found no evidence of widespread Hamas theft of Gaza aid
The Middle East Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow An internal US government review found no evidence of widespread theft by Hamas of US-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, contradicting the State Department's claims that were used to justify backing a controversial private organization that took over aid distribution in the enclave. The analysis, conducted by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), looked into 156 incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse reported by partner organizations between October 2023 and May 2025. The review of the incidents, which was first reported by Reuters, 'found no affiliations' with sanctioned groups or foreign terrorist organizations, according to a presentation seen by CNN. 'There was no indication that there was a systemic loss due to Hamas interference or theft or diversion,' a source familiar with the report told CNN. The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed there is widespread theft of humanitarian aid by Hamas. They have said that only the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a private US and Israel-backed organization, is able to distribute assistance to the besieged enclave without such theft occurring. 'We want to see as much aid getting into Gaza as possible in a way that is not being looted by Hamas, and this mechanism, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has been a way to do that,' State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Thursday. 'We're calling for additional support of that foundation to deliver that aid.' The USAID findings were presented to officials working in the State Department's Middle East bureau, as well as people working on humanitarian aid and the USAID Office of the Inspector General. USAID ceased operations on July 1 and some of its work was transferred to the State Department. However, the USAID watchdog remains operational. It is unclear if the findings have been relayed to State Department leadership. More than 1,000 people have been killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry and the United Nations, with 60% killed while trying to reach GHF sites. Thousands are suffering from malnutrition and more than a dozen people have starved to death this week amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on aid. A State Department spokesperson claimed there is 'endless video evidence of Hamas looting' and 'intelligence' showing that 'a significant portion of non-GHF aid trucks have been diverted, looted, stolen, or 'self-distributed.'' The spokesperson did not provide examples of the video evidence. They also accused aid workers of lying about looting 'in a poor attempt at an aid corruption coverup.' 'As the situation on the ground develops, we will continue to assess the most effective way to deliver aid to the people of Gaza,' the spokesperson said. The USAID analysis, which was completed in late June, noted that 'the majority of incidents could not be definitively attributed to a specific actor.' 'Partners often largely discovered that commodities had been stolen in transit without identifying the perpetrator,' the presentation said. Given the perpetrator could not be identified, it is possible that Hamas has stolen aid, two sources said. However, they cast doubt on the idea that there would be systemic theft without any evidence. Humanitarian officials in the past have also said they did not experience widespread diversion. One of the sources noted that USAID does not vet the beneficiaries of its aid, so in theory, the families of Hamas government officials in Gaza could have received aid, 'but that's not an armed faction of Hamas. That's the population of Gaza.' The USAID analysis found that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 'was either directly or indirectly responsible for the loss' of US-provided aid in 28% of incidents of theft or waste between October 2023 and May 2025. The finding was based on the reports from partners organizations. According to a presentation of the analysis, this included the loss of goods due to 'airstrikes, evacuation orders, or IDF direction to use high risk delivery routes against partner requests.' 'Partners often noted that looting occurred en route (to distribution sites) despite extensive coordination with the IDF,' the presentation said. 'When partners desired to take alternate routes due to high risk of theft or looting, they were forced by the IDF to take riskier routes with known threats putting commodities at risk.' CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Fox News
10 hours ago
- Fox News
Grieving parents of American terror victim plead with top criminal prosecutor for justice
JERUSALEM— The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is under growing pressure to extradite the self-confessed female Hamas terrorist Ahlam Aref Ahmad al-Tamimi, who engineered the terrorist bombing at a Jerusalem pizzeria in 2001 that murdered three Americans among 16 people, half of whom were children. Frimet and Arnold Roth, the parents of Malki Roth, a 15-year-old U.S. citizen murdered in the 2001 Sbarro pizzeria bombing, held a virtual meeting on July 17, 2025 with Jeanine F. Pirro, United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. The U.S. State Department has a $5 million reward for information leading to al-Tamimi's capture, even as reports claim Jordan's King Abdullah II has played hardball, refusing to extradite the accused mass murderer. "You have the capacity to push for her extradition, to ensure that the 1995 treaty is honored, to show Jordan and its population along with the watching world that harboring terrorists has consequences," Arnold Roth told Pirro during the meeting, according to a family press release following the meeting. The 24th anniversary of the Aug. 9, 2001 bombing is next month. Roth added, "We're here today to implore you to act. Jordan needs to know the U.S. cannot tolerate the protection of a murderer of American citizens. U.S. justice needs to be respected by the world and, without hammering this point too hard, by America's lawmakers and senior officials." The Roths said that the meeting focused on the need for "concrete steps" to advance the long-delayed extradition of al-Tamimi. Al-Tamimi's terrorist bombing also killed Judith Shoshana Greenberg and Chana Nachenberg in the 2001 attack. "All the victims deserve justice," Arnold Roth said, stressing that Tamimi's extradition should become a "true priority" for the U.S. Department of Justice. When asked if the extradition of al-Tamimi was raised by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in his Wednesday meeting with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The United States has continually emphasized to the Government of Jordan the importance of holding Ahlam al-Tamimi, the convicted terrorist released by Israel in a 2011 prisoner swap, accountable in a U.S. court for her admitted role in a 2001 bombing in Jerusalem that killed 15 people, including Americans Malka Chana Roth, Judith Shoshana Greenbaum, and Chana Nachenberg. The United States continues to impress upon the Government of Jordan that Tamimi is a brutal murderer who should be brought to justice." The State Department referred Fox News Digital to the Department of Justice for more information about the U.S. criminal case against al-Tamimi. The Justice Department and Pirro's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital press queries. Al-Tamimi is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list. She is the second female to appear on the terrorism list. Frimet Roth told U.S. Attorney Pirro that "We cannot carry this fight alone any longer. Judge Pirro, please, be the voice for Malki and the other American victims. Be the advocate for justice that has been denied for too long. We beg you to act—not for our sake alone, but for the integrity of American law and the sanctity of every life lost to terror." The Roths also delivered a petition to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee in May 2025, with some 30,000 signatures urging the Trump administration to press Jordan for al-Tamimi's extradition. Arnold Roth told Fox News Digital that "No senior figure from State has ever, in all the years of our fight for justice, agreed to speak with us. Their treatment of us and of the Tamimi case is deplorable. Victoria Nuland, then one of the top-ranking figures in the State Department. Nuland wrote to us in the names of President Biden and then-Sec of State Antony Blinken, and told us that the Tamimi case was quote 'a foremost priority' for the U.S. And that they would keep us informed. She then [they] ignored every follow-up letter that I sent her, and of course so said Biden and Blinken." Jordan's government is a major recipient of U.S. Foreign Military Financing (FMF). According to a January 2025 U.S. State Department fact sheet, "Since 2015, the Department of State has provided Jordan with $2.155 billion in FMF, which makes Jordan the third-largest global recipient of FMF funds over that time period. In addition, the Department of Defense (DoD) has provided $327 million to the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) under its 333 authority since 2018, making Jordan one of the largest recipients of this funding." Al-Tamimi reportedly boasted about her terrorist operation in the Arab media and called for more terrorism against Israel. "Of course. I do not regret what happened. Absolutely not. This is the path. I dedicated myself to jihad for the sake of Allah, and Allah granted me success. You know how many casualties there were [in the 2001 attack on the Sbarro pizzeria]. This was made possible by Allah. Do you want me to denounce what I did? That's out of the question. I would do it again today, and in the same manner," she said in 2011, according to a MEMRI translation. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department publicly announced that it had charged her with the Jerusalem suicide bombing. Fox News Digital sent multiple press queries to Jordan's government and its embassies in Washington, D.C., and Tel Aviv.
