One question many were asking surrounding the release of dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander pertained to what Hamas was promised in return for his freedom.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office even went so far as to release a statement that it had been informed by the US of Hamas’s intention to release Alexander “without compensation or conditions.”
The statement went on to emphasize that Israel did not commit to a ceasefire or the release of any Palestinian prisoners, only to “a safe corridor that will allow for Edan’s release.”
At the same time, Hamas leader Mahmoud Mardawi told the Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV that they conducted direct negotiations with the US that would lead to the resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
And Qatar and Egypt issued a joint statement referring to Alexander’s release as “an encouraging step for the parties to return to the negotiating table for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and ensuring the safe and unhindered flow of aid to address the tragic situation in the Strip,” implying that certain soft commitments by the Israelis were to be understood.
Apparent starvation crisis in Gaza
President Donald Trump’s recent comments while visiting Qatar, claiming that “a lot of people are starving” in Gaza, and the Americans’ call for immediate mass quantities of aid into Hamas-controlled areas only confirm Hamas’s claim that they were promised aid by the US in exchange for Alexander’s freedom.
Let’s be clear. There is no starvation crisis currently in Gaza, even though food prices are up as estimates are that only a few weeks’ worth of supplies remain. The urgent call for aid can only be understood in light of what humanitarian aid means to Hamas.
Throughout the war, Hamas has weaponized humanitarian assistance, using fuel for their operations, selling food at inflated prices, and converting aid into cash to fund their war machine. More critically, controlling aid distribution has been the key to Hamas maintaining its governing capability.
New IDF approach for delivering humanitarian aid
Israel has recently announced that it is currently working on establishing humanitarian zones under full IDF control where aid would be delivered directly to civilians. This approach accomplishes two crucial war objectives while averting an actual hunger crisis.
As aid becomes available only inside zones under complete IDF control, the Gazan population will migrate into these zones en masse. As the areas under Hamas’s control are emptied, its civil authority will vanish. There will simply be no population left for them to govern.
Israel has always said that the goal of this war is to dismantle Hamas’s military and governing capabilities. Delivery of humanitarian aid directly to the population in IDF-controlled zones accomplishes both capabilities simultaneously.
As the primary broker in Alexander’s release, Qatar has consistently worked to preserve Hamas throughout this conflict. Having invested billions in building up Hamas over the years, Qatar cannot afford to see their proxy organization destroyed.
The country’s efforts in pressuring the United States to urge Israel to allow aid to Hamas represent a desperate attempt to keep Hamas alive.
Hamas and its Qatari backers recognize that Israel is on the verge of implementing an aid distribution system that would end Hamas rule in Gaza. The manufactured urgency around resuming aid flows – despite the absence of actual starvation – represents a last-ditch effort to maintain Hamas’s control mechanisms before Israel’s alternative system takes effect.
Hamas’s cries for humanitarian aid must also be understood in the context of their consistent strategic embrace of civilian suffering. For years, Hamas officials have stated that maximizing their civilian casualties serves their broader political goals, demonizing Israel while positioning themselves as martyrs.
Given this calculus, one might expect Hamas to welcome actual starvation as another tool for international condemnation of Israel. The desperate call for the resumption of aid isn’t about taking care of their people. It’s about organizational survival.
There is a moral lesson in the absurd irony of this situation. While Israel is criticized for how long this war has dragged on without success in removing Hamas from power, the sole cause of Hamas’s survival is the insistence by American administrations, first Biden and now Trump, to refuel its governing apparatus.
Immediately after October 7, then-defense minister Yoav Gallant ordered all food, water, and electricity cut off from Gaza. Gallant later stated openly that it was only due to American pressure that Israel allowed the flow of aid in.
Had aid never been allowed in, the war would have ended much more quickly with far less loss of life on both sides. Hamas would have been choked out of the tunnels, the population would have left Hamas-controlled areas or revolted out of hunger, and Hamas would have had no fuel or funds to continue.
Criticizing Israel for the length of the war while insisting on deliveries of supplies to Hamas is cynical hypocrisy of the highest order.
Hamas was told they would be thrown a lifeline for releasing Edan Alexander. Israel would be wise not to cooperate.
The writer is director of Israel365action.com and cohost of the Shoulder to Shoulder podcast.