Claim that Hamas is profiteering hugely from food aid in Gaza

[lljkk]

Situation is so distressing I can barely stand thinking about it. But every time I hear this claim, I want to fact check it, starting with a simple question I ask now.

The claim just now on PM programme was basically "Hamas have profited US$ 500million in last 18 months from aid in Gaza."

Last week I heard that HAMAS have made "billions" from stolen aid. It was implied the billions was USD, profit made in last ... 2? 3? years and that this stolen aid was mostly food ... much or all of it sold onwards to the Gazan people themselves.

If I could speak directly to people making these claims about Hamas getting huge profits from stolen aid, My question would be..

Who is paying for the 'aid' that Hamas stole?

Does anyone on MN know what answer I would hear? Would the claimers say that the average Gaza citizen has a big pile of US cash they are using to pay high prices for food? Or is an oil-rich country supposed to be buying all that aid at inflated prices, or maybe bargain prices for huge amounts of donated aid?

What would those claimers say if I could ask my question about who is paying?

Israel kicked out UNWRA who were the main distributors of aid in Palestine. They closed off aid routes and then allowed aid in at a trickle. They have replacement aid distributors who are US backed, 1000 civilians have been killed trying to access aid at their distribution points. Starving children have been used for target practice.

Israel have been accused of using mass starvation as collective punishment which is a war crime. Hamas aren't responsible.

yeah I know all that which is awful, beyond words awful, but my question is

"WHO IS PAYING" according to the people who say Hamas is profiteering from stolen aid.

My back of envelope calculation.
$500 million over 18 months, 540 days
that means $925,000 per day.
There are 2.1 residents of Gaza, or some lesser count now (sigh), so they only have to pay 45 cents each per day. But they also need to have paid 0.45 * 540 = $240 per person for food from Hamas over that period.
I actually don't think most of them could have afforded to pay $10/head.

if the profiteering is supposed to have been billions, that turns into ...? $1000 each over the last 18 months.

(Hallucinating possibly) AI is telling me that median weekly wages in Gaza were US $10/week in 2022. So how would households with typical earners making that wage in 2022 have $240 or $1000 per head available to enrich Hamas in last 18 months.