FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry aid supplies they collected from trucks that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip August 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

In a world oversaturated with misinformation, it has become easier than ever to turn a lie into a headline. The newest global narrative? That Gaza is experiencing a food crisis, and it’s entirely Israel’s fault. But peel away the propaganda and a very different picture emerges.

The so-called humanitarian crisis has been strategically packaged by Hamas and its propaganda arm to weaponize pity and vilify Israel.

Ironically, Israel has never blocked aid. Quite the opposite. Since the outbreak of war, Israel has facilitated the entry of thousands of aid trucks carrying food, water, medicine, and fuel. Recently, even Israeli aircraft joined international efforts to air-drop supplies, an act virtually unheard of in wartime by any other military force.

So, where does this aid go?

Straight to Hamas. This terror regime has perfected the art of theft, frequently confiscating humanitarian supplies, reselling them to civilians, or redirecting them to fuel their war machine. Meanwhile, Gaza’s truly needy receive aid only if they pledge loyalty or can afford to buy back the stolen goods. Humanitarian relief has become a hostage of terror.

The real blockade is Hamas.

While the world points fingers at Israel, approximately 50 Israelis are still being held captive in Gaza. Their names are forgotten by a media more obsessed with demonizing Israel than confronting terrorist cruelty. World leaders demand “restraint” from Israel while turning a blind eye to hostage-taking, child soldiers, and the systematic abuse of civilians by Hamas.

When the IDF paused military operations to allow aid, the world demanded more. When Israel offered humanitarian corridors, critics scoffed. When aid continued to flow, accusations of “collective punishment” persisted. What more can be asked of a nation that is literally feeding its enemy’s civilians, even as its own are under fire?

Israel’s critics never seem to ask Egypt why its border remains closed. Or why Qatar continues to fund Hamas. Or why the UN’s aid warehouses keep “disappearing.” Instead, Israel is blamed for everything, from famine to fire, from rockets to riots.

It’s time to name the real culprits:

• Hamas, which steals food, hoards fuel, and uses children as shields.

• The UN, which too often negotiates with terrorists while ignoring their crimes.

• Western governments, who cower before populist outrage instead of defending moral clarity.

Let’s not confuse compassion with complicity. Want to feed Gaza’s children? Keep supplying aid, but more importantly, remove the regime that’s starving them. Want peace in the region? Support the one democracy that believes in it. Want justice? Bring the hostages home.

Israel did not choose this war — no, it was forced into it. But Israelis — and Palestinians — will never be safe until Hamas is gone. This is done not for revenge, but for survival. Not for conquest, but for the hope of a better tomorrow.

The world doesn’t need more food drops. It needs a reality check. Because Israel isn’t blocking peace. It’s defending it.

Sabine Sterk is CEO of Time to Stand Up for Israel.