Palestinian criticizes Hamas in Al-Jazeera interview for taking aid

An elderly Palestinian woman bravely took Hamas to task for hoarding international aid meant for desperate civilians during an interview with Al Jazeera inside the Gaza Strip Wednesday, according to a DC-based media research institute.   

The unidentified woman condemned the terror group that controls Gaza, apparently unbothered by the potential consequences, as she spoke openly to the reporter for the Qatar-backed station with others standing around her, according to the footage and translation shared by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The clip provided by MEMRI begins with the interviewer asking the woman about the lack of food or water in the area. He then insists the situation is difficult with no aid coming. That led the woman to blast Hamas.

“All the aid goes to (the tunnels) underground, it does not reach the people,” she said.

The video then cuts in again as the woman reiterates how the aid is meant for civilians.

“I am not afraid (of Hamas). I am talking to them as well. All the aid reaches the Gaza Strip and,” she said before the reporter cut her off, according to the MEMRI-translated clip.

“A lot of aid is coming. It is being distributed. This is what they say,” the reporter said, but the woman just started wagging her finger.

“Hamas takes everything to their homes,” she said, adding they can “shoot me, or do whatever they want to me.”

The interviewer then pulls the microphone back, saying that the situation is unclear, per MEMRI.

Sen. John Fetterman praised the woman as a “hero” in a tweet as others applauded her for having the courage to speak out.

The number of trucks entering Gaza in recent days has dropped to fewer than 100 after about 200 trucks crossed over during the week-long truce between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations said this week, Reuters reported.

The MEMRI says it is a non-partisan research institute that provides analysis and translation of primary materials coming from the Middle East in hopes of bridging the language gap for the international viewing community.

Palestinians in Gaza have suffered since Hamas carried out a surprise attack on Israeli communities that killed 1,200 Israelis, leading the Jewish state to launch a military campaign against the territory. More than 15,000 Palestinians have been killed since, according to the Hamas-backed health ministry.