FOGHORN OF WAR: The Truth About Gaza's 'Stolen' Food

The IDF comes clean

The main argument Israel and the United States used hijack control of the distribution of food may have crumbled today.

The Orwellian-named “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” was largely built upon the constantly-repeated claim that “Hamas is stealing the food.” Because Israel has shut out the world’s journalists, Israel’s unverified talking point became just that … an oft-repeated talking point. Although it lacked corroboration, it quickly turned into a mantra. To challenge the mantra was, as ever, to “side with the terrorists” … you know, the tired old bullshit tactic from the War On Terror.

Then today we get this story from The New York Times:

No Proof Hamas Routinely Stole U.N. Aid, Israeli Military Officials Say

For nearly two years, Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid provided by the United Nations and other international organizations. The government has used that claim as its main rationale for restricting food from entering Gaza.

But the Israeli military never found proof that the Palestinian militant group had systematically stolen aid from the United Nations, the biggest supplier of emergency assistance to Gaza for most of the war, according to two senior Israeli military officials and two other Israelis involved in the matter.

In fact, the Israeli military officials said, the U.N. aid delivery system, which Israel derided and undermined, was largely effective in providing food to Gaza’s desperate and hungry population.

…and here are the specifics:

The military officials who spoke to The New York Times said that the original U.N. aid operation was relatively reliable and less vulnerable to Hamas interference than the operations of many of the other groups bringing aid into Gaza. That’s largely because the United Nations managed its own supply chain and handled distribution directly inside Gaza.

Hamas did steal from some of the smaller organizations that donated aid, as those groups were not always on the ground to oversee distribution, according to the senior Israeli officials and others involved in the matter. But, they say, there was no evidence that Hamas regularly stole from the United Nations, which provided the largest chunk of the aid.

This report comes just one day after Reuters reported on similar findings by USAID that, it seems, were ignored by Marco Rubio’s State Department and, in fact, a State Department parrot attempted to discredit the inconvenient findings:

An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group Hamas of U.S.-funded humanitarian supplies, challenging the main rationale that Israel and the U.S. give for backing a new armed private aid operation.

The analysis, which has not been previously reported, was conducted by a bureau within the U.S. Agency for International Development and completed in late June. It examined 156 incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded supplies reported by U.S. aid partner organizations between October 2023 and this May.

It found “no reports alleging Hamas” benefited from U.S.-funded supplies, according to a slide presentation of the findings seen by Reuters.

A State Department spokesperson disputed the findings, saying there is video evidence of Hamas looting aid, but provided no such videos. The spokesperson also accused traditional humanitarian groups of covering up "aid corruption."

A White House spokesperson, Anna Kelly, questioned the existence of the analysis, saying no State Department official had seen it and that it "was likely produced by a deep state operative" seeking to discredit President Donald Trump's "humanitarian agenda."

I guess that means the IDF is also “seeking to discredit” Trump’s “humanitarian agenda.” They certainly seem to be undermining the argument put forward by both governments. It’s always a big deal when the IDF contradicts the government. I expect the IDF to look out for its interests as an institution, but I’m not sure what the motivation is here. Maybe it’s as simple putting an end to the GHF’s role and, therefore, the IDF’s responsibility for protecting them.

Could there also be second thoughts about waging war on a famine-stricken population?

Or a deeper dissatisfaction with endlessness of Netanyahu’s war?

Or is this a retroactive propaganda move to create distance between the IDF as an institution and the coming famine?

In other words, is this strategically-placed story a prophylactic to protect its image?

The unnamed officials did tell the Times that the IDF presented an alternative to the GHF that would’ve allowed the UN to distribute aid. Perhaps it was a good-faith proposal. I suspect that they knew before they ever uttered a word that Netanyahu would never accept the proposal. Cutting-off food and destroying potable water are crucial steps in the process of eventually dislodging the Gazans who don’t die along the way. He will keep on culling the population with bombs and constricting calories until malnourished Gazans eventually have no choice but to leave when the only food, water and medicine is found somewhere outside of the Strip.

There some is precedent for this.

Back in 2012, the Associated Press and others reported on an Israeli blockade program that calculated the bare minimum calories per person it had to allow into the Strip to avoid people failing into malnutrition. It was controversial at the time because it revealed a troubling logic. Although the IDF denied it, it appeared like an arcane attempt to punish a population at the caloric level. Even if it wasn’t, the data could easily be weaponized to do just that. It also revealed one simple truth … the IDF and Israel have been and still are the ultimate arbiters of how many calories Gazans get to eat.

And that’s why I thought the most telling statement of the week came from Israeli Minister of Heritage Amichay Eliyahu. In an a radio appearance touted by Arutz Sheva, the Minister said “we aren't supposed to deal with hunger in Gaza” and “let the world take care of them.” If only his government would “let the world” into Gaza … and a few airdrops in the bucket isn’t nearly enough. Its temporary PR … because they are pursuing a goal. As the Minister of Heritage declared: "The government is charging on to erase Gaza, thank G-d we are erasing this evil. All of Gaza will be Jewish."

In fact, even as the first starvation deaths were being reported, Israelis in the Knesset were discussing their post-cleansing plans for the Strip. Per The Guardian:

The scheme, titled “The master plan for settlement in the Gaza Strip”, envisions the construction of 850,000 housing units, construction of hi-tech “smart cities” that trade cryptocurrency, and a metro system that runs across the territory. It took its inspiration from an idea shared by the US president, Donald Trump, in February, when he pledged to turn Gaza into the “riviera of the Middle East”.

The text of the plan, which boasts of the economic benefits to Israel, said: “The right of the people of Israel to settle, develop and preserve this land is not just a historical right – it is a national and security obligation.”

The plan, seen by the Guardian, would require Gaza’s existing population of about 2 million to be emptied out. Legal experts warn that forcible displacement on such a scale would be tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

Despite a growing list of public statements from various government officials that all demonstrate they’ve crossed the line from collective punishment to literal ethnic cleansing, Israel is somehow allowed to continue its human rights-shattering behavior without any consequences whatsoever.

Apparently, we’ve been transported back to the pre-WWII world … before international laws, conventions on war and a Universal Declaration of Human Rights attempted to end forever the very tactics and goals currently being employed by Israel.

The symmetry is downright haunting. - jp