Hamas Controls the ATMs, Cash, and Humanitarian Aid Trucks

Hamas’ control of the residents in the Gaza Strip seems to know no limits.

A Palestinian Authority (PA) TV reporter in Gaza reported that Hamas now also controls the ATMs, and that residents can’t get cash to purchase goods:

Official PA TV reporter in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza: “The residents are in a difficult mental state due to the lack of cash. We as PA public employees cannot receive our salary that has arrived in the banks because the people with influence are acting as if the ATMs are their family’s private property, and the armed people [i.e., Hamas] are doing the same. We have no possibility of reaching the ATMs. There is a lack of cash in the markets. There are goods being offered at reasonable prices, but there is no cash to purchase them.”

[Official PA TV, April 24, 2024]

Similarly, the PA TV journalist reported earlier that Hamas also controls what happens with the 150 humanitarian aid trucks that arrive daily with food and other necessities, and that only 20 of these trucks reach the general population:

Official PA TV reporter in Deir Al-Balah, Gaza: “When we speak about the entry of more than 150 [humanitarian aid] trucks [a day to Gaza], and what is [actually] distributed is 20 trucks, then there is a missing link. Some of those with power in the Gaza Strip [i.e., Hamas] control the number of trucks, where these trucks are arriving, the destination of the trucks, and the people who enjoy the contents of these trucks.”

[Official PA TV News, April 14, 2024]

These reports add to what Palestinian Media Watch has already published, that Hamas even kills aid workers and steals food for itself.

The author is a senior analyst at Palestinian Media Watch, where a version of this article was originally published.