Gaza Herald— An internal investigation conducted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has found no evidence supporting repeated Israeli allegations that Hamas has stolen humanitarian aid intended for civilians in the Gaza Strip.
According to the findings, USAID reviewed 156 reported incidents involving disrupted, delayed, or lost aid deliveries between October 2023 and May 2025. The analysis concluded that at least 44 of these disruptions were directly or indirectly attributable to Israeli military operations, including airstrikes, convoy blockades, and operational disorder in field environments.
The report further notes that no verifiable evidence was found, visual, documented, or intelligence-based, to suggest that Hamas has systematically diverted or stolen humanitarian assistance. This conclusion undermines persistent narratives advanced by some Israeli officials and echoed by U.S. lawmakers who have called for restrictions or suspension of aid to Gaza.
In a related development, U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, David Satterfield, acknowledged that Israel has failed to present any concrete proof, such as imagery or data, demonstrating that Hamas has misappropriated aid. Satterfield reiterated the U.S. government’s position that humanitarian aid to Gaza must continue to flow “safely and transparently,” despite ongoing security and logistical challenges.
While Israeli authorities have consistently claimed that Hamas benefits from or controls aid distribution, these assertions remain unsubstantiated, according to both U.S. government sources and United Nations officials familiar with the delivery mechanisms on the ground.
The USAID review comes at a time of mounting international concern over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The spread of famine and widespread destruction has left hundreds of thousands of Palestinians without access to basic necessities, amplifying calls on Washington and Tel Aviv to remove obstacles impeding humanitarian access and ensure accountability in the delivery of assistance.
The report is expected to raise further scrutiny over the use of misinformation in shaping policy around aid distribution and will likely fuel ongoing debates in Congress and the international community over the ethics and impact of conditional aid strategies amid what many experts describe as a rapidly escalating humanitarian catastrophe.
