Internal US review undermines claims of Hamas theft of Gaza humanitarian aid

An internal review by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has found no credible evidence that Hamas systematically diverted American-funded humanitarian aid in Gaza, casting doubt on one of the central justifications for a controversial armed private aid operation backed by Israel and the U.S.

The confidential USAID study, conducted by its Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) and completed in late June, analysed 156 reported incidents of theft or loss of U.S.-funded aid from October 2023 to May 2025. According to a briefing presentation seen by Reuters, the review concluded there were no reports alleging Hamas benefited from the stolen aid. A separate source familiar with the review said humanitarian partners did not uncover any links to U.S.-designated terrorist groups in any of the reported losses.

The findings challenge the narrative advanced by both the Israeli government and certain U.S. officials who have insisted Hamas routinely seizes humanitarian supplies to strengthen its control over Gaza. A State Department spokesperson rejected the conclusions, claiming there was “video evidence” of Hamas looting aid but did not provide any. The official further accused aid organisations of downplaying corruption to safeguard their funding.

While the study acknowledged limitations — such as the inability to vet individual Palestinian recipients and the possibility that Hamas-affiliated officials might have incidentally accessed some supplies — it underscored that most aid losses could not be definitively attributed to any actor. In fact, the analysis found that at least 44 of the 156 incidents were “directly or indirectly” caused by Israeli military actions. This included 11 cases involving direct attacks and others where Israeli forces required convoys to use routes known to be insecure.

The report comes at a time when Gaza faces catastrophic food shortages. According to the U.N. World Food Programme, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s 2.1 million people are enduring famine-like conditions, and children have died from starvation. The humanitarian crisis has fueled debate over the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new U.S.-backed private aid initiative led by a former CIA officer and manned in part by armed U.S. military veterans. GHF claims its distribution model ends Hamas control over aid, but U.N. agencies and major NGOs have refused to collaborate, warning that the foundation undermines humanitarian neutrality.

GHF, Israel, and some U.S. officials continue to claim that Hamas steals or taxes aid. The Israeli military asserts Hamas has taken up to 25% of relief supplies, embedding fighters on aid trucks and reselling goods at inflated prices. However, neither Israel nor GHF has publicly provided documentary proof. Meanwhile, a Hamas official denied the accusations, saying over 800 Hamas-affiliated police and security officers had been killed while escorting aid convoys — missions allegedly coordinated with the U.N. 

The USAID analysis offers further insight into the murky operational risks aid groups face. Of the 156 incidents of loss or theft, 63 were attributed to unknown actors, 35 to armed groups not linked to Hamas or other U.S.-designated organisations, and 25 to unarmed civilians. Other incidents involved corrupt subcontractors or aid workers. In several cases, aid reportedly vanished during transit, with no clear perpetrator identified.

A noteworthy caveat in the review is that USAID’s BHA lost access to classified intelligence systems amid the recent dismantling of the agency, meaning staff were not able to consult potentially relevant intelligence. Nonetheless, a separate source familiar with U.S. intelligence said Washington largely relies on Israeli reports and is unaware of any classified material substantiating the charge that Hamas systematically diverted humanitarian aid.

Despite mounting scrutiny, the U.S. recently approved $30 million in funding for GHF, waiving standard anti-terrorism vetting procedures typically required for other humanitarian partners.

As the war in Gaza continues—sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 and led to the abduction of 251 hostages—Palestinian authorities say nearly 60,000 people have been killed in Israeli operations.

By Tamilla Hasanova