The inside story of how Gaza aid is diverted from the people who need it most
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Most damningly, 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.
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'There is some hunger in Gaza, and it exists only in places Hamas is pursuing it, not in other areas,' said Prof. Eytan Gilboa, an expert in international relations and media at Reichman University in Herzliya.
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Before the war, around 150–300 trucks entered Gaza daily, though only a fraction carried food. Data from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that in 2022, an average of 292 trucks crossed daily, with just 73 of them carrying food — around 25 per cent. Despite this, there were no signs of famine. Public health indicators such as infant mortality and life expectancy matched those in Jordan and Judea and Samaria.
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The report also refuted flawed assumptions about local food production. While Amnesty International claimed that local agriculture provided 44 per cent of Gaza's food needs, the report argued that this number was based on financial expenditure, not caloric intake. In reality, local production accounted for no more than 12 per cent of caloric supply. The majority of calories came from imported grains, oils and food aid — largely delivered by the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the World Food Programme.
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Israel suspended aid shipments temporarily in March 2025 due to Hamas's systematic looting, but resumed deliveries in May. By the end of May, 170 trucks were entering the Strip each day. As of July 27, all aid crossings have reopened, and additional airdrops are being carried out. The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), launched in May, now supports alternative aid distribution networks.
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According to official Israeli sources, humanitarian aid currently flows through two main channels. The first includes direct food packages — primarily shelf-stable items such as canned vegetables, lentils and nutritional supplements — distributed by international organizations through secure hubs.
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