On Friday’s broadcast of Newsmax TV’s “The Record,” Netanyahu Spokesperson Tal Heinrich stated that Hamas terrorists aren’t starving because “they’ve been hoarding and stealing the aid” as part of a goal to increase civilian suffering “in hopes that Israel will take the fire for it, and the international pressure on Israel will bring an eventual end to this war and let them stay in power, let them live another day, and carry out another October 7 massacre.” She also stated that “if you put the pressure on Israel when Hamas [is] doing these things, then you incentivize these sick methods.”
Heinrich said, “Nobody in Hamas is going hungry, Greta, please, be sure of that. Because we arrested thousands of these terrorists, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, none of them seemed to be hungry. Hamas, they’ve been hoarding and stealing the aid that has been funneling in. … Hamas has been stealing this aid, and then, sometimes, they sell it for tenfold the price at the market. And you know what, they’re not doing it just to feed their own war machine, they do it because that is part of their strategy. They want to maximize the civilian suffering in Gaza, in hopes that Israel will take the fire for it, and the international pressure on Israel will bring an eventual end to this war and let them stay in power, let them live another day, and carry out another October 7 massacre.”
She added, “[Y]ou’re either team Israel or you’re team Hamas in this war. There is no middle here. If somebody truly cares about Palestinian civilians, they should wish for Hamas to be gone, because Hamas has been — they’ve been in power for sixteen years in Gaza. All they brought upon Palestinian civilians is a lot of misery. They knew exactly what was going to happen when they launched the October 7 attack, and they’re trying to do their best to maximize civilian casualties and maximize civilian suffering in Gaza. And, again, they hope that Israel will be accused for their actions. So, when pressure is applied on Israel…instead of on Hamas in this war, they’re playing right into Hamas’ strategy, right into their hands, and they’re incentivizing their use of humans as human shields — or using civilians as human shields and stealing of the aid. Because if you put the pressure on Israel when Hamas [is] doing these things, then you incentivize these sick methods.”
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