KEREM SHALOM CROSSING, ISRAEL–GAZA BORDER — Colonel Abdullah Halabi of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has pushed back against what he calls a "deliberate and false propaganda campaign" by Hamas, accusing the group of distorting the truth about the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

"Hamas is running a deliberate and false propaganda campaign that presents a distorted picture of the humanitarian situation," said Col. Halabi in a recent statement.

Speaking from the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Halabi provided a rare look into the logistics of aid delivery. According to the IDF, hundreds of aid trucks are currently waiting on the Gazan side of the crossing, fully loaded with humanitarian supplies. These supplies include food, medicine, and basic necessities—ready to be distributed.

However, the colonel emphasized that these trucks remain untouched due to logistical failures by the United Nations and other international agencies, which have been slow or unable to retrieve and distribute the aid.

“The reality on the ground is not due to a lack of aid but a lack of coordination and will from the agencies responsible for delivering it,” Halabi added.

The IDF maintains that Israel has kept the crossing open and secured, allowing the continuous flow of goods into Gaza despite ongoing hostilities. Officials argue that the bottleneck lies entirely on the Gazan side and with international bodies like the United Nations, which have struggled to scale up operations under Hamas’s control.

This statement comes amid growing international criticism and media reports suggesting Israel is obstructing humanitarian aid. The IDF insists these claims are misleading and that Hamas is using propaganda to manipulate global opinion.