Huge aid surplus funding Hamas terrorism

By controlling distribution networks, Hamas can influence who receives aid, turning supplies into political leverage and occasionally diverting goods to its own institutions.

By Hezy Laing

As Israel continues to allow huge amounts of humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, several leading counterterrorism and security experts warn that the current volume entering the Strip far exceeds civilian needs and is being systematically diverted by Hamas.

Approximately 600 aid trucks enter Gaza daily, a figure that multiple analysts argue is nearly triple the population’s basic requirement.

Hamas has a long history of diverting humanitarian goods, including fuel, cement, and medical equipment, to support its military infrastructure.

The excess aid has also enabled Hamas to collect hundreds of millions of dollars.

Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Conricus, former IDF international spokesperson, has repeatedly warned that Hamas exploits humanitarian shipments.

In a 2024 briefing, he stated that Hamas has seized fuel, food, and medical supplies from UNRWA warehouses, citing video evidence and IDF intelligence reports.

Gaza’s civilian population cannot absorb 600 trucks per day, he says, noting that pre‑war consumption averaged 150–200 trucks. “When the volume triples, the surplus doesn’t vanish — Hamas takes it,” he said in a televised interview.

Dr. Matthew Levitt, director of Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute and former U.S. Treasury counterterror finance official, has documented Hamas’ diversion of humanitarian goods for over two decades.

In his book Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad, Levitt details how Hamas historically taxed or confiscated aid shipments to fund military activity.

In a policy brief, Levitt wrote that “oversupply of humanitarian goods creates a black market economy that Hamas exploits for revenue.”

Col. (res.) Dr. Michael Milshtein, former head of the Palestinian Affairs Department in IDF Military Intelligence, has been one of the most vocal experts on the issue.

In a 2024 analysis for the Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University, he wrote that Gaza’s civilian needs are roughly 180–200 trucks per day, and that the current 600‑truck flow “creates a massive surplus vulnerable to Hamas diversion.”

The aid is resold in Gaza markets, with proceeds flowing to Hamas‑linked networks.”

Miriam Halevi, a humanitarian‑aid logistics specialist who has worked in multiple conflict zones, echoed the concern. “No aid system in the world can absorb triple the required volume without leakage,” she said.

“When oversight is weak and armed groups control distribution, excess aid becomes a resource for those groups. Gaza is no exception.”

Halevi noted that aid diversion can take many forms: confiscation at checkpoints, “taxation” of shipments, or resale on the black market to fund militant activity.

Reports from COGAT, UN terrorism financing panels, and former UNRWA officials corroborate these concerns, noting repeated instances of Hamas confiscating fuel, interfering with distribution, and taxing aid shipments.

Hamas has historically extracted value from aid entering Gaza through several mechanisms.

It has imposed taxes and fees on commercial goods, fuel, construction materials, and sometimes even humanitarian shipments, generating revenue from items crossing into the territory.

By controlling distribution networks, Hamas can influence who receives aid, turning supplies into political leverage and occasionally diverting goods to its own institutions.

Materials such as fuel, equipment, and construction supplies have also been repurposed for military infrastructure, including tunnels.

During periods of scarcity, Hamas’s control over aid can create black market opportunities, allowing free goods to be resold at high prices.

With 600 trucks entering daily — nearly three times the estimated civilian requirement — experts warn that the international community may be “unintentionally” subsidizing Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure.