A video clip posted on Friday shows masked men from Hamas's security forces "punishing" Gazans suspected of stealing food from the terror group's warehouses.
In the footage, they are seen hitting the bound and blindfolded youths with bats, while spraying the word "thief" on their backs as they cry out in pain.
The IDF Arabic language spokesperson said that the young Gazans were accused of stealing because they were hungry and tried to take some of the humanitarian aid that Hamas had hoarded while depriving the local population of food.
"This is Hamas and this is how they treat civilians in Gaza," he said. "All the terror group cares about is its own interests and the Iranian money it receives at the expense of the poor residents of the Strip. Now that Iranian money is no longer sufficient, Hamas is taking money away from the impoverished civilians."