In late June 2025, a rumor spread online that the drug oxycodone was discovered in flour bags distributed as humanitarian aid in Gaza by U.S.-Israeli groups. Oxycodone is an opioid used for pain management in medicine; it is highly addictive and can cause death.
The claim spread on X, Instagram and TikTok. Some posts included pictures of the alleged oxycodone pills found in the bags.
A Telegram channel that appeared to represent official communications for Gaza's government did, in fact, announce its "deep concern and condemnation over the discovery of narcotic pills of the type 'oxycodone' inside flour bags that reached citizens from the so-called 'American-Israeli aid centers,' known as 'death traps.'" In an emailed statement, the U.S. Department of State said it would refer an inquiry for more information about the alleged situation to the government of Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed group Israel approved to take over aid distribution in Gaza.
In a statement provided via email after publication of this article, GHF said the "accusation is completely false and the person who was the originator of this claim deleted his Twitter account."
GHF provided a link to a story by conservative news outlet The Western Journal, which alleged the claim began with a Palestinian named Omar Hamad, whose X account is no longer live as of this writing. However, Palestinian Dr. Khalil Mazen Abu Nada made a similar allegation on Facebook and appeared to do so hours before Hamad on June 26, 2025 — and that post is still up as of this writing. Hamad and Nada did not return requests for more information.
The governments of Gaza and Israel did not immediately return inquiries for more information about the allegation, and we do not have enough demonstrable evidence to rate this claim. We will update this article should we receive more information.
Here's what we do know:
On June 27, 2025, a Telegram channel called @mediagovps posted a statement (archived) in Arabic alleging the discovery of oxycodone in flour bags distributed by U.S.-Israeli aid centers. Here is the part of the statement focused on the specific incident, translated into English using Google Translate — as such, there may be errors (emphasis ours):
⭕ *Drug pills found inside flour bags from the so-called "American-Israeli aid centers" is a heinous crime targeting the health of civilians and the social fabric*
We express our deep concern and condemnation over the discovery of narcotic pills of the type "Oxycodone" inside flour bags that reached citizens from the so-called "American-Israeli aid centers," known as "death traps." We have so far documented four testimonies from citizens who found these pills inside flour bags. More serious is the possibility that some of these narcotic substances were deliberately ground or dissolved in the flour itself, which increases the scope of the crime and transforms it into a serious attack directly targeting public health.
We hold the "Israeli" occupation fully responsible for this heinous crime of spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within, as part of a systematic policy that constitutes an extension of the crime of genocide carried out by the occupation against our Palestinian people. The Israeli occupation's use of drugs as a soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians, and its exploitation of the blockade to smuggle these substances as "aid and assistance," constitutes a war crime and a serious violation of international humanitarian law.
We warn our Palestinian people of this crime and reiterate our warning against visiting these dangerous centers, which are death traps and mass lures. We call on citizens to be cautious, inspect food supplies coming from these suspicious centers, and immediately report any suspicious substances. We also urge families to educate their children about the dangers of visiting these centers and using narcotics. We emphasize that community vigilance is the first line of defense against these malicious attempts.
News outlets closely following the Israeli offensive in Gaza, including Al Jazeera, reported on the statement above as official communications from Gaza's Government Media Office. Snopes awaits confirmation from Gaza's government to corroborate this.
The language used by the Telegram post echoes others, including the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, in calling the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's centers a "death trap" amid reports that Israeli forces have shot and killed hundreds of Palestinians near the sites.