Gazans Tell The Media Line: Hamas Is Starving Us
Is famine in Gaza the result of war, blockade—or Hamas itself? In a powerful report for The Media Line, journalist Ahmed Abd al-Salam takes readers inside Gaza City, where despair collides with anger at Hamas’s rule. The UN is preparing to declare famine under its revised criteria, holding Israel responsible, but many Gazans told Abd al-Salam a very different story: food is entering, they say, only to be looted, hoarded, and resold by Hamas leaders and their enforcers.
The voices are raw. One grandfather who lost three grandchildren said bitterly, “Hamas did this to us. We can’t even find a bite to eat while they eat lamb and beef.” Another father said his daughter had gone ten days without milk, blaming Hamas, the Arab world, and Israel. Others expressed the unthinkable: that life had been better before Hamas seized control in 2006. Some even said they would accept rule by Israel again if it meant a decent life.
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Many said they want to leave Gaza altogether. “I swear, I’ll migrate anywhere, even Somalia,” one man said. “The Somalians live better than us now.” Others pleaded for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to return, believing only unified leadership could rebuild shattered lives.
Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) rejected UN famine claims, citing 10,000 trucks of aid and 2.2 million packages delivered through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. It accused aid agencies of inefficiency and international media of spreading false accusations that Israel is using starvation as a weapon.
Abd al-Salam’s reporting pierces the fog of war, revealing voices rarely heard in global coverage. Read the full piece and watch the video report to hear Gazans themselves explain who they hold accountable, and what future they hope for.
