“The blockade has been the single greatest contributor to endemic and long-lasting household poverty in Gaza”. Such is the conclusion of a Save the Children report that its chief executive recently urged people to read. So I read it and doubt I will ever support Save the Children again.

The report, Falling Behind, documents in horrific, captivating detail the living conditions of children in Gaza. Few would contest that this small strip of land is one of the most benighted places on earth but this account could have been written by a propagandist for the Hamas terrorists who run it.

It does not mention that Israel imposed the blockade only after Hamas started launching missiles at Israel’s civilian population. Before Hamas initiated hostilities, there was no blockade, and Israel had withdrawn and was supporting a new air and seaport for Gaza in the hope that a prosperous neighbour would be a peaceful neighbour.

Then Hamas took power, first democratically, then militarily and bloodily. Israel imposed the blockade to limit the import of even more dangerous weapons into Gaza. Not only is Save the Children silent about this, it is also silent about how Hamas uses schools and hospitals to launch its missiles. Its report does not contain one word about how Hamas diverts money from humanitarian ends to building tunnels and other parts of its terrorist infrastructure.

The report calls for the blockade to end “immediately and in its entirety”. In this regard Save the Children, Hamas and a good number of other organisations, are in complete agreement. Lifting the blockade is Hamas’s chief demand. Israel has eased restrictions in the past, allowing humanitarian and medical supplies into Gaza, but it fears the security implications of further concessions — and for good reason. Egypt, which also has strict controls on its border with Gaza, recognises that Hamas often behaves remarkably similarly to Islamic State, including last week’s summary executions of its opponents. The root cause of the Gaza tragedy is not the blockade but Hamas — and you don’t save any children anywhere by arming and enriching terrorists.

Read the article in full at The Times.