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WFP Director: Hamas Is Not Stealing Aid
Cindy McCain Rejects Israeli Claims, Warns of Starvation Crisis
Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), has rejected Israel’s longstanding claim that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip, asserting instead that Palestinians are facing an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe marked by starvation and desperation.
Speaking on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday, McCain — the widow of the late Senator John McCain, a longtime ally of Israel, dismissed allegations that Hamas is diverting aid shipments meant for civilians.
“They are desperate,” she said. “When they see a World Food Programme truck coming in, they run for it. And they run for it not because of Hamas or any kind of organized crime. They run for it because they’re starving to death.”
McCain’s remarks come amid growing international concern over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where months of conflict and a near-total blockade have left more than two million Palestinians in dire need of food, medicine, and clean water. The WFP recently warned that famine is imminent in parts of the enclave, particularly in northern Gaza.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of seizing or interfering with the distribution of…