As Gazans run out of food, water and fuel, a New York Times article speaks of Hamas in possession of supplies it has collected over the years and stored under tunnels, waiting to be desperately needed.
Arab and Western officials, who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, say “there is a basis for Israeli claims that Hamas is stockpiling supplies, including much-needed food and fuel.”
Officials confirmed that “Hamas has spent years building dozens of kilometers of tunnels under the Gaza Strip, where it has gathered in warehouses almost everything needed for a long battle, a reality that Israel may soon face if it carries out the threat.” to invade Gaza.”
Hamas has “hundreds of thousands of liters of fuel for vehicles and missiles, caches of ammunition, explosives and materials to produce more, and supplies of food, water and medicine,” the newspaper quoted officials as saying.
A senior Lebanese official said: “Hamas, whose numbers are estimated at between 35,000 and 40,000, has enough supplies to continue fighting for three or four months without resupply.”
The newspaper notes that “one of the Israeli women kidnapped and released by Hamas revealed how the movement provided prisoners with medicines, shampoo and feminine hygiene products, which are now extremely rare materials in Gaza.”
With Gazans facing a humanitarian catastrophe, the Hamas stockpile raises questions about accountability, if any, to the civilian population, according to the report.
Hamas has not said much about its supply situation, but the government that runs it in Gaza says it “has fuel supplies that run out quickly in emergency situations.”
“Hospitals, ambulances, fire engines and civil defense trucks use the government’s emergency fuel depot,” according to Salama Marouf, who runs the government’s press office in Gaza.
On October 7, Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization, launched the most violent attack inside Israeli territory, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians, including women and children.
After the attack, the Israeli army began a bombing campaign on Gaza, controlled by Hamas, imposing a siege on the Strip, inhabited by around 2.4 million people. Hamas’ Ministry of Health announced the killing of 7,326 people, the majority of whom were civilians, including women and children.