Izzat al-Rishq says allegations against Hamas are baseless, calls on Washington to stop shielding Israel
Senior Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq on Saturday rejected recent US claims that Hamas has stolen humanitarian aid in Gaza.
In an official statement, Rishq said: “The allegations about Hamas stealing aid are politically motivated and baseless.”
An unreported US Agency for International Development (USAID) study examined 156 cases of lost or stolen aid between October 2023 and May 2025, and found no evidence of the Palestinian group Hamas benefiting from the US-supplied aid.
The report contradicts claims by Israel and the US, which have been used to justify a controversial new armed private aid operation, which has resulted in over 1,000 deaths among starving aid-seekers.
The official noted that the American narrative diverts attention from “the real obstacle to any ceasefire or humanitarian agreement: the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
“These statements by (US President Donald) Trump and (US presidential envoy for the Middle East Steve) Witkoff do not align with the assessments of the mediators and contradict the reality of the negotiation process,” he said.
Rishq affirmed that Hamas has engaged with the negotiations “with full national responsibility and flexibility” since the beginning of the talks, aiming for a “comprehensive agreement that ends the aggression and alleviates the suffering” of Gaza’s population.
He emphasized that Hamas’ latest response to the current framework included a “positive and flexible approach” to all key points, particularly regarding the delivery of aid.
“We insisted that the agreement must ensure the clear and protected flow of humanitarian aid through the UN and its recognized agencies without any interference by the occupation,” Rishq stated.
He added that the Hamas response also called for reducing the size and depth of the Israeli-declared buffer zones within Gaza during the proposed 60-day truce, especially avoiding densely populated areas to facilitate the return of displaced residents.
He urged the US administration to “stop shielding the occupation” and to end its “military and political cover for Israel’s ongoing war of extermination and starvation” in Gaza.
Rishq called on Washington to play a “constructive role” in pushing the Israeli government to engage seriously in reaching a ceasefire agreement and securing a prisoner exchange deal.
Israel has killed more than 59,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, gutted the health system, and led to severe food shortages.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
