No more looking the other way

From Isabelle Arnau

A shocking accusation has shaken the international public: according to Palestinian activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Hamas hoarded tons of baby food and medical food shakes in secret warehouses – and withheld them from the civilian population.

Alkhatib shared video footage on social media that appears to show a warehouse loaded with boxes of children’s and baby food.

But at the time of the worst hunger and supply shortages in Gaza, these aid supplies were systematically withheld – a deliberate provocation, according to the accusation.

According to Alkhatib, the purpose of hiding the food was to exacerbate the dramatic starvation situation of the civilian population – to generate international outrage against Israel and force the return of aid distribution under the control of the United Nations, away from the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Anyone who deliberately withholds baby food and children’s shakes – relief supplies for the most vulnerable – is deliberately acting against the lives of children and families in need. The accusation casts a dark light on Hamas’ actions – not as armed resistance, but as a deliberate exploitation of humanitarian need for political ends.

The targeted denial of such vital aid as a means of political pressure is more than mere warfare – it is an attack on innocent people, on children. Those who choose hunger as a means of generating attention and pressure are dehumanizing their own countrymen.

What needs to be done now?

Firstly, there needs to be an independent international investigation into the whole matter. For example: Where did the supplies come from and how was Hamas able to steal them?

Secondly: Immediate release and distribution of all withheld aid, if it is still being withheld by Hamas. Any delay means further endangering the lives and health of the babies and children affected.

Thirdly: Finally, an end to Western hypocrisy and reticence towards the misconduct of Hamas and the aid organizations in Gaza. We must act, not look away For the children in Gaza. But also for the sake of our humanitarian values. Because otherwise they are a waste of time.