From the start of the Hunger Games story, it was clear that Gale had feelings for his best friend, Katniss. However, Katniss was never able to explore the romantic side of her life as she was too busy providing for her family and then winning the 74th Hunger Games with Peeta.
Gale does not marry anyone in The Hunger Games. He and Katniss talk about running away together and starting a new life in the wilderness, but they never officially marry.
When Katniss comes home to District 12, Gale immediately confesses his love for Katniss, and she realizes she might have feelings for him, too — but she can't explore them, because she has to continue her fake relationship with Peeta or else her entire family, including “cousin Gale,” will be killed.
The woods are now ruined. Katniss decides that the Capitol views her and Gale's weekly hunting trips — and the one time that Gale unexpectedly kissed her, which Snow knows about — as flaunting her defiance in front of the entire district.
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
Gale & Dewey • "The Only Man Who Ever Loved You" (+Scream VI)
Who did Katniss love more?
Katniss's focus on survival and her family's safety prevented her from fully considering romance, but her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged in the end. Katniss ultimately chose Peeta because he understood her trauma and she didn't want to lose him, proving her love for him.
Gale is jealous of Peeta and the relationship he has with Katniss, and he wants Katniss to decide between them, though he doesn't press Katniss during her recovery in District 13. Gale is an excellent hunter and excels at setting snares and traps.
At the end of Mockingjay, Gale relocates to District 2 and begins working in the district's government. He helps train replacements for the Capitol's Peacekeepers. By this point, he knows that he and Katniss will never be together.
When Gale is most in pain is when Katniss kisses him, and this is true again as we see her answer Gale's pain with a kiss. She wants to give Gale what he wants, but she can't yet completely commit to him, as she must think of her family and Peeta and being the Mockingjay for the revolution.
Snow can't stand to see a young woman betray a young man's affection—his view of what happened 65 years ago. And so he takes out his old, festering wound on Katniss.
Although she will never know for sure, Katniss does recognize that she cannot be with Gale. She will never be able to forgive him for his idea — the parachute bombs — that killed Prim.
It's only implied that they get it on via snuggling and other affectionate acts in close quarters — but if you have read the book, they really imply that they took their relationship to the next level.
Before the Capitol battle, Gale had explained to Katniss his series of bombs designed to feed off human compassion: a small bomb would go off, and then when medical aid rushed in, a second bomb would go off, killing those people as well. Incidentally, it's this exact type of bomb that took Prim's life.
In the end, Katniss and Gale grew apart, as many childhood friends and young loves do. She needed something different in her life, and with Gale's link to Primrose's death, Katniss found a reason to cut ties. If Katniss ever wanted to find comfort again, she knew she had to return to Peeta for the long term.
He was actually helpful during the revolution. Unlike Peeta who was busy being brainwashed, working for President Snow, and wearing white after Labor Day — though again, not entirely his fault — Gale fought beside Katniss during the revolution.
Katniss cannot tell Gale she loves him because it will make everything much more complicated in her life. She is struggling as it is with her feelings for Peeta and Gale, and with all her worries of just keeping her family alive, love for him is the last thing she can think about right now.
Gale Hawthorne is Katniss Everdeen's best friend and hunting partner. In order to not cast suspicion on Katniss and Peeta Mellark's highly publicized strategic romance, Gale is presented as Katniss's cousin. He bears a resemblance to Katniss, which makes their cover believable.
Who does Gale end up with at the end of Mockingjay?
In the Mockingjay movie, Katniss confronts Gale about his role in Prim's death, which he struggles to come to terms with. Katniss, unable to look at him the same way, lets him walk away without a word and eventually ended up living with Peeta.
Ultimately, in Mockingjay, it was undeniable that Katniss was completely in love with Peeta. Even though both Gale and Peeta are great men who wanted the best for Katniss, there's no doubt Peeta was kinder, and more loyal and understanding. These qualities made Peeta way better as a character and as a love interest.
In the beginning, Katniss did love Gale. But around the middleish/ending of the story, she finds herself loving Peeta instead. The main reason, though: Gale and Coin were designing a bomb, and Prim was killed by the bomb.
Katniss here's this and understands that even though she may not love Peeta (then) that it's one less person who has to die. (At least that's what I have always thought.) Katniss realizes that if she pretends to be in love with Peeta people will want the capitol to let them survive.
During his interview with Caesar Flickerman, he reveals he is in love with Katniss, much to her surprise. This confession begins the idea that the two are the "star-crossed lovers from District 12," which Haymitch believes will help them get sponsors.
What does Katniss realize about her relationship with Gale?
She understands that Gale is more than a friend to her but can't admit that she has romantic feelings toward him. She recalls their time in the woods, how she is a better hunter when he is there with her because she trusts him. They depend upon one another to survive and to provide for their families.
