Israeli defense officials say Hamas controls most humanitarian aid in Gaza

Senior security officials say Hamas is exploiting the increased flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and turning it into a source of civilian and economic leverage, as reported this Sunday on Kan Reshet Bet’s program “HaBoker HaZeh.”

According to assessments within Israel’s security establishment, the volume of humanitarian aid entering Gaza has risen significantly – from about 50,000 trucks in 2024 to roughly 70,000 trucks in 2025.

Hamas currently controls warehouses, distribution points, and markets, and collects taxes and protection fees from business owners. The organization uses these funds, among other things, to recruit operatives, pay salaries, and rebuild its civilian governance mechanisms.

At the same time, Hamas is increasing pressure on the civilian population. Security officials say the group employs intimidation and systematic abuse, suppresses internal criticism, and redeploys police forces and checkpoints as part of reestablishing public order and projecting power.

Defense officials stress that the rapid rehabilitation of Hamas’ civilian mechanisms is no less troubling than the direct military threat. Against the backdrop of indicators and reliable intelligence showing Hamas’ exploitation of humanitarian aid, Israel has begun a process to revoke operating licenses from international organizations working in Israel, Judea and Samaria, and the Gaza Strip. The decision followed refusals by humanitarian organizations to provide employee lists and cooperate with a security registration process mandated by law.

Since the registration mechanism for international organizations operating in Gaza came into force, the activities of 37 international organizations have been revoked. Israeli officials emphasize that these organizations together accounted for less than 1% of all humanitarian aid delivered during the war, and that the overall volume of aid will not be affected by the decision.

The move is being led by an interministerial team headed by the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism and includes the dispatch of official letters to more than ten international organizations, among them Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). The letters state that operating licenses will be canceled as of Jan. 1, and that the organizations must complete the cessation of their activities by March 1.

Defense officials note that the new registration process is based on clear professional and security criteria, was presented to the organizations in advance, and is intended to preserve the integrity of the humanitarian system and prevent the infiltration of terrorist elements. They add that since the outbreak of the war, dozens of terrorists operating under the cover of international organizations – using marked vehicles, humanitarian warehouses, and civilian infrastructure - have been eliminated .

Security checks found that employees of Doctors Without Borders were involved in terrorist activity, and in two key cases the organization refrained from providing full information about the employees’ identities and roles. In June 2024, an Islamic Jihad operative involved in rocket operations who was employed by the organization as a physiotherapist was killed. In September, an employee who had served as a Hamas sniper was exposed. In both cases, the organization did not provide complete information regarding the employees’ identities and functions.

Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories officials state that despite repeated false statements by aid organizations that refused to take part in the registration process, there will be no future reduction in the volume of humanitarian aid as a result of implementing the law. The organizations, that were warned of activity cessation, did not deliver aid to Gaza during the current ceasefire, and previously their combined contribution amounted to only about 1% of the total aid volume.