Israel
Hamas is hoarding fuel, food and medicines in Gaza say Arab and Western officials
The terror group is believed to have enough resources to survive a long, drawn-out conflict
October 30, 2023 09:39
The terror group is believed to have enough resources to survive a long, drawn-out conflict
October 30, 2023 09:39(JNS) Arab and Western officials say Israeli claims that Hamas is stockpiling food, fuel and other supplies have merit, The New York Times reported on Friday. This, as Gaza’s 2 million population is left "scraping by with what little food and water they scrounge up."
Hamas has been building dozens of miles of tunnels under the Gaza Strip and filling them with supplies needed for a long fight, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to compromise intelligence sources.
Hamas has hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel, ammunition, explosives, food, water and medicine, they said.
One senior Lebanese official said Hamas has enough stockpiled to fight for three to four months without resupply, while Gazan citizens struggle to provide for their basic needs.
A boy sits on donkey-drawn cart loaded with a water tank, as drinking water and fuel become increasingly scarce, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 30, 2023, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS / AFP)
"Yet with Gazans facing a humanitarian catastrophe, Hamas’s stockpiles raise questions about what responsibility, if any, it has to the civilian population," the Times reported.
Israel has said that Hamas bears responsibility for the Gaza population, and has rejected calls that it must allow fuel to enter the Strip.
"Hospitals warning that they're running out of fuel is a serious matter, and should be addressed by the governing entity of the Gaza Strip: Hamas. They have fuel, enough to pump water and provide essential electricity for hospitals. Priorities," tweeted IDF Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, on October 26.
