Addressing Gazans, IDF general promises boosted aid, tents ahead of expanded offensive

The head of Israel’s Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, issues an Arabic-language video message to Gaza residents as the IDF prepares to expand its operations against Hamas in Gaza City and move civilians southward.

Alian accuses Hamas of orchestrating a “false starvation campaign,” stressing that “Israel does not pursue a policy of starvation. On the contrary, Israel works to prevent it.”

He says more than 300 humanitarian aid trucks enter Gaza daily — most carrying food — and that four crossings have been opened to facilitate deliveries, which he claims have driven down market prices and improved access to food.

COGAT, Major General Ghassan Alian, to the residents of Gaza in light of the @IDF preparations to expand operations against Hamas in Gaza City and ahead of moving the population from Gaza City southward for their protection:

"In recent weeks, the terrorist organization Hamas… pic.twitter.com/m0dH8Hkx4r

— COGAT (@cogatonline) August 28, 2025

“Hamas, and only Hamas, is responsible for the humanitarian crisis,” he says, charging that the group seizes aid and uses civilians as human shields.

Alian says the IDF’s upcoming Gaza City offensive is aimed at bringing about “the collapse of this terrorist organization,” while ensuring safe passage for civilians to the southern Gaza Strip.

To support that effort, he notes that Israel has facilitated the entry of tents for shelters, worked to set up additional field hospitals and enabled the transfer of medical equipment to bolster the health system in the south.

“Hamas will continue spreading lies,” he adds. “We will continue working together with the UN and international organizations to facilitate the entry of large-scale food supplies and ensure that the aid reaches you, the residents of Gaza, and not Hamas.”