A U.S.-based Palestinian activist says Hamas deliberately hid tons of infant formula and children’s nutritional shakes in secret warehouses, even as Gazans faced some of the worst hunger conditions in years.

Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a longtime critic of Hamas and an advocate for a two-state solution, posted footage on social media showing floor-to-ceiling stacks of unopened baby formula packages inside what he said was a clandestine Hamas-controlled storage site in Gaza. If verified, the allegation would mark one of the clearest examples yet of the militant group manipulating humanitarian conditions for political leverage.

“During the worst days of the hunger crisis in Gaza in the past six months, Hamas deliberately hid literal tons of infant formula and nutritional shakes for children,” Alkhatib wrote. “The goal… was to worsen the hunger crisis and initiate a disaster as part of the terror group’s famine narrative in a desperate effort to stop Israel’s onslaught.”

The footage comes months after warnings of widespread hunger in Gaza following the collapse of a March cease-fire. With aid deliveries stalled and images of malnourished children ricocheting across global media, the U.S. intervened directly, establishing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to distribute food independently of Hamas — a move that enraged the group and triggered violent clashes around aid sites.

Hamas, seeking to reassert control, warned Palestinians not to approach GHF distribution points, where near-daily shootings erupted over the summer. At the same time, armed gangs looted multiple aid convoys, further destabilizing the situation. A UN Office for Project Services assessment later claimed to have found little evidence that Hamas orchestrated the looting, attributing most incidents to criminal groups.

But Alkhatib alleges Hamas exploited the chaos for political gain and intentionally withheld food meant for infants — the most emotionally potent symbol of famine — to amplify suffering and weaken international support for Israel’s military operations.

Alkhatib, who has long criticized both Hamas and Israel, said the discovery should force a reckoning inside Palestinian society.

“You can have compassion for the real suffering of Palestinian civilians and demand Israeli action to facilitate aid entry,” he said, “while still holding Hamas accountable for causing a hunger and starvation crisis in the first place.”

“The Palestinian people deserve the truth — and accountability from everyone who contributed to this disaster.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)