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.
She is under an immense amount of pressure and has no time to worry about love interests, and Peeta gets that. He never demands that she choose between him and Gale, as he knows that she will make the decision when she is ready. He loves her, but he does so selflessly.
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.
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.
Hunger Games: Why Katniss Ends Up With Peeta, Not Gale
Why did Katniss not end up with Gale?
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.
Katniss Fell in Love With Peeta During the Quarter Quell
However, it wasn't until Mockingjay -- when Peeta got kidnapped by the Capitol -- Katniss realized how much she cared about him and that she couldn't live without him.
Katniss made the choice to build her future with Peeta. If she didn't love him, she wouldn't have made that choice. Katniss made her whole world about getting the people she cared about to the next day, her choice to survive with Peeta proves her love for him.
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.
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.
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.
Throughout the series, Katniss and Peeta fluctuate between a platonic and romantic relationship. For a period in Mockingjay, Peeta is brainwashed by the Capitol to hate Katniss and try to kill her. But he recovers, and in the epilogue, we learn that Peeta and Katniss are married with two children.
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.
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.
What if Gale was chosen as the male tribute instead of Peeta?
If Gale had been chosen as the District 12 male tribute instead of Peeta, Katniss and Gale would've worked together and initially grown more intimate. The star-crossed lovers narrative that she and Peeta had could've arguably been more genuine for her and Gale.
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.
After Prim's death, Gale leaves voluntarily because neither of them can avoid the matter of Prim's death having been caused by Gale's invention, with Katniss letting him go without a word. Katniss subsequently grows back together with Peeta, whom she finds she loves again now that he is recovered from his hijacking.
Katniss speculates that Coin deliberately sent Prim to die in the Capitol bombing in order to fully gain her trust, but it's never outright confirmed or denied.
Later, the two learn President Snow considered their actions to be an act of rebellion against the Capitol. After their last interview, in which the two continue to affect their romantic feelings for one another, Peeta comes to the realization Katniss has staged her love for him all along.
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.
What does Peeta whisper to Katniss when they reunite?
Then, he opens his eyes. He has camouflaged himself in mud, leaves, and vines. He jokes with her, whispering that it's okay to kiss him since they're madly in love, but once Katniss begins to clean him in the stream, she can see how weak he is.
While the Hunger Games film never talked about it, the Catching Fire novel explained why she could only communicate through hand gestures. Katniss briefly mentioned that a previous stroke could have caused Mags' garbled speech. However, post-traumatic stress disorder could have also caused her speech incapacity.
Eventually, she finds herself truly worried about losing Peeta, being without him, and when they kiss, she feels her heart stir for him. They go to sleep, Peeta's arms around Katniss, and for the first time since her father used to hold her like that, she feels safe. They wake hungry.
