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Hamas Pervades Every Aspect of Life in Gaza, and Is Preventing the Distribution of Aid
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, March 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Gaza is experiencing a total collapse of governance, making basic life-sustaining tasks like food distribution, aid delivery, and law enforcement incredibly challenging. The breakdown is a direct result of the iron grip that Hamas — the genocidal terror regime — held over the coastal enclave for more than a decade and a half. The US, Israel, and other partners have stepped in to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, but in order for these initiatives to succeed, Israel must first remove the Hamas threat.
In March, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights accused Israel of intentionally restricting aid entering Gaza. However according to UN data, more trucks of food entered Gaza in March than any month in the past 10 years, belying the accusation. Israel claims that bottlenecks occur once the aid is inside Gaza, and that the UN is not up to the task of distributing the sorely-needed assistance.
In addition to the near 20,000 trucks of aid that have entered Gaza since October 7, Israel has facilitated a new maritime aid corridor, airdrops of aid by several countries, and is working with the United States on an ambitious project to build a floating pier off the Gaza shore that will help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Israel is also working with several aid organizations on the ground in Gaza to facilitate aid delivery. These organizations have taken on high levels of risk to deliver aid to those who need it in the enclave. Tragically, seven employees of Word Central Food kitchen were mistakenly killed by IDF fire as they traveled from central to southern Gaza during the night hours of April 1. This terrible incident brings the difficulties of delivering aid in war zones into sharp relief.
Despite Jerusalem’s efforts to “flood” Gaza with assistance by land, air, and sea, it is clear that many — especially those who ignored IDF pleas and remained in the war torn north of Gaza – face hunger.
The journey from the south of Gaza, where the vast majority of the aid is entering, to the north of the enclave has proven treacherous. It is on this journey that aid convoys have been attacked by terrorists and mobbed by thousands of desperate Gazans.
The question that needs to be examined is what led to the rapid and total breakdown in governance in Gaza? The answer lies in the style of Hamas rule in the enclave; a lethal authoritarian terror regime that pervaded every aspect of civilian life in Gaza.
Hamas ruled Gaza unchallenged after it took over the enclave in a violent coup in 2007. The bureaucracy, aid organizations, and police were all dominated by the terror organization. Not surprisingly, Hamas was the biggest employer in Gaza in 2023 with a reported 50,000 public sector workers on its payroll.
Hamas was also deeply embedded in the business of humanitarian aid distribution. According to Israel, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) — the UN organization that for over seven decades has provided a litany of services to Palestinians that in normal circumstances would be the responsibility of their government — employed approximately 1,200 staff that were active members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israel also said that at least 12 took part in the horrors of October 7.
The European Council on Foreign Relations describes the Civil Police Force in Gaza as being made up of members of the armed wing of Hamas and other factions in Gaza. Accordingly, Israel has targeted the police and they have fled underground. Without Hamas to enforce the rule of law, civilians in Rafah have formed loosely organized vigilante groups that police the streets with assault rifles or crude batons, and claim their job is to prevent price gouging by Gazan merchants.
Israel reportedly asked clan leaders to assist with distributing aid to the more isolated Gazans in the center and north. The reports elicited a statement from Hamas, warning Gazans that anyone that cooperated with Israel would be dealt with harshly. Since October 7, Hamas has repeatedly targeted Gazans who have defied the regime, and have a history of meting out death penalties and summary executions.
Once Hamas is no longer a threat to Israel or Gazans, new figures may emerge that are willing to partner with Israel and the international community and could play a leadership role in rebuilding the enclave. However, until Hamas is crushed, pragmatic Gazans are understandably cautious; all the more reason for Israel to pursue a total victory.
Enia Krivine is the senior director of the Israel Program and the FDD National Security Network at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow her on X at @EKrivine.
The post Hamas Pervades Every Aspect of Life in Gaza, and Is Preventing the Distribution of Aid first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Canada Is Evaluating Ties With Israel After Qatar Attack, Foreign Minister Says
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand speaks during a High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Canada is evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, foreign minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday, in the latest sign of unhappiness with the Israeli government.
Anand reiterated that Canada considered the attack to be unacceptable, especially given Qatari attempts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Anand made her comments when asked whether Canada might follow the lead of the European Commission, which said it would propose the suspension of trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel.
“We are evaluating our relationship with Israel,” Anand told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the ruling Liberal Party in Edmonton.
Asked specifically whether Canada was considering any kinds of sanctions against Israel, she replied: “We will continue to evaluate our next steps.”
Canada has noticeably hardened its line on Israel under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau in March. Carney announced in July that Canada would recognize Palestinian statehood, angering Israel.
Trudeau was generally supportive of Israel‘s campaign against Hamas, while occasionally criticizing actions of the Israeli military.
Carney on Tuesday condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it “an intolerable expansion of violence” that risked escalating conflict throughout the region.
He said last month that Israel‘s plan to take control of Gaza City was “wrong”.
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Iran Says More Talks Needed to Bring About IAEA Inspections
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iran, July 12, 2025. Photo: Hamid Forootan/Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
A new agreement between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog does not guarantee inspectors’ access to Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran wants further talks on how inspections are carried out, the country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached a deal on Tuesday on resuming inspections at sites including those bombed by the US and Israel but gave no specifics, and Tehran said the deal was off if international sanctions were re-imposed.
“I have to reiterate the agreement does not currently provide access to IAEA inspectors, apart from the Bushehr nuclear plant,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state TV in an interview.
“Based on reports that Iran will issue in the future, the nature of access will have to be discussed at an appropriate time,” he added.
Diplomats said the devil would be in the details of Tuesday’s agreement. No joint press conference was held in Cairo to provide details on what the IAEA has been calling “modalities” regarding the resumption of inspections.
The agreement comes against the backdrop of an ongoing threat by European powers to re-impose international sanctions against Iran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers.
The IAEA‘s Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday that the “technical document” agreed provided for “a clear understanding of the procedures for inspection, notifications, and implementation.”
“These include all facilities and installations in Iran and also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present at those.”
While Iran‘s enrichment sites have been badly damaged or destroyed, it is less clear what has happened to the stockpile, which includes uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a short step from the roughly 90 percent required for weapons-grade.
Araqchi said the IAEA‘s board of governors’ meeting on Wednesday would be crucial concerning how cooperation with the IAEA develops.
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Israel Attacks Sanaa, Al-Jawf in Latest Strikes on Houthis in Yemen
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province of al–Jawf on Wednesday, with the Iran-backed Houthis rebels who control much of Yemen saying it killed nine people and wounded 118 others in an initial toll.
The strikes are the latest in a series of attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi terrorists in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it had struck military camps, the headquarters of the Houthi military “propaganda” department, and a fuel storage site.
The Houthi’s military spokesperson denied in a statement later that Israel targeted missile launchers. “Its strikes targeted purely civilian targets,” he said.
He added that two newspapers were targeted, with journalists and passers-by falling between dead and wounded.
Sanaa residents told Reuters the attack was on a hideout between two mountains that is used as a command and control headquarters. The extent of any damage was not immediately clear.
The Israeli strikes also targeted the Houthi defense ministry, witnesses said.
The attack came days after an Aug. 30 strike on Sanaa killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run government and several ministers, in the first such assault to target senior officials.
“The strikes were carried out in response to attacks led by the Houthi terror regime against the State of Israel, during which unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles were launched toward Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, an internationally designated terrorist group, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
They have also fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.