Gaza: A recent US government internal review has refuted claims that the Palestinian group Hamas systematically diverted US-funded humanitarian aid, challenging prior assertions made by Israel and the US.

According to Anadolu Agency, the unreported study by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) reviewed 156 cases of lost or stolen aid between October 2023 and May 2025. The study found no evidence that Hamas benefited from US-supplied aid, contradicting claims by Israel and the US, which have justified a new armed private aid operation. This controversial operation has led to over 1,000 deaths among starving aid-seekers.

The findings have surfaced amid Gaza's worsening food crisis under an Israeli blockade. Israel insists on controlling aid to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas, which it holds responsible for the crisis. Gaza has been under an intense Israeli blockade and bombardment since October 2023, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and humanitarian agencies warning of an escalating famine.

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, over 1,083 people have died and more than 7,275 have been wounded while trying to access food at aid distribution points since the conflict began. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 59,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The campaign has ravaged the enclave, devastated the health system, and caused severe food shortages.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Additionally, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in the enclave.