Gaza Aid for Sale, Insufficient for Daily Needs

A side of Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid waiting near the Rafah crossing (AFP)
A side of Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid waiting near the Rafah crossing (AFP)
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Gaza Aid for Sale, Insufficient for Daily Needs

A side of Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid waiting near the Rafah crossing (AFP)
A side of Egyptian trucks carrying humanitarian aid waiting near the Rafah crossing (AFP)

Amid hurdles blocking enough humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza and with the UN recognizing the difficulties in distributing relief amid over six months of continuous conflict, Gazans struggle to get their daily food needs met.

Residents of Gaza are also increasingly concerned about illicit trafficking of aid.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began on Oct. 7, residents have faced food shortages. Israel shut down commercial crossings and enforced a blockade.

Entry of aid through the Rafah border crossing is also restricted, leaving trucks waiting on the Egyptian side.

To ease the plight of Gazans, some countries are resorting to airlifting aid, while others are trying to use a maritime route from Cyprus to Gaza.

However, some Gazans keep complaining about aid mismanagement, with reports of aid turning into commodities sold at high prices in markets.

Videos shared on social media show examples of “aid items being sold in markets at inflated rates.”

One video features a person claiming to have bought a tent from aid supplies for around 3,000 shekels, roughly $800.

Another Gazan, Mahmoud Al-Halabi, also alleges aid is seized and sold on the black market.

Gaza-based activist Khalid Safi, now in Türkiye, blames the Israeli occupation for soaring prices and shortages.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Safi asserted that the aid entering Gaza is far too little, meeting just a fraction of daily needs.

Safi mentions that UNRWA and the Palestinian Red Crescent used to distribute aid based on records, but some citizens sell what they receive to buy other essentials.

According to Safi, families may trade flour for cleaning supplies, clothes, or other essentials.

He explained that sometimes citizens sell directly to each other, or to traders who buy aid items cheaply and then sell them for higher prices in markets.

Media reports from Israel and the West have mentioned “smuggling of Gaza aid and its sale on the black market.”

They noted a growing black market for relief items as more desperate people struggle to get food.



Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
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Israeli Military Says it Struck 'Key' Hamas Figure in Lebanon's Tripoli

People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh
People gather near a damaged car after the Israeli military said in a statement that it struck a "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas, in Ayrounieh, northern Lebanon July 8, 2025. REUTERS/Walid Saleh

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had struck "key" figure from Palestinian militant group Hamas near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, the first targeted killing in the area for several months.

In a statement, Israel's military did not give the identity of the targeted person. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Lebanese state media said a car had been hit near Tripoli and the health ministry reported two people were killed and three others wounded, without identifying them, Reuters reported.

Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in camps that have housed displaced Palestinians for decades.

Since Hamas' cross-border attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel in 2023, Israel has carried out targeted strikes on Lebanese armed group Hezbollah as well as members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.

Hamas' deputy chief was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024, and other strikes hit Palestinian camps in northern Lebanon.

A US-brokered ceasefire last year ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, though Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon.

Tuesday's strike near Tripoli was the first time a targeted assassination had taken place in the area since the truce.

Meanwhile, US envoy Thomas Barrack continued a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss disarming Hezbollah and other militant groups.