A United Nations official has accused Hamas of hampering humanitarian operations in Gaza and putting aid workers at risk, an allegation the Palestinian group rejects
“Humanitarian workers were forced to halt food distributions after armed personnel affiliated with the de facto authorities forcibly entered the Abu Rashid food distribution point in Jabalia, North Gaza,” UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said in a statement on Monday
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He said the armed personnel entered a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse and assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies
Alakbarov said “these incidents are not isolated” and “reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations”
Hamas, which controls parts of Gaza, strongly denied the allegations
“We categorically reject the language of incitement, the distortion of facts, and the manufactured narrative presented in the statement,” the group said in a statement
The group said the WFP distribution centre was not attacked or raided but was instead the site of an “official law enforcement operation” carried out after the discovery of smuggled items “concealed inside humanitarian aid parcels”
It added that a unit of the Palestinian police uncovered an attempt to exploit humanitarian convoys to smuggle in cigarettes and mobile phone screens for commercial purposes
“The police intervention in this incident constituted a responsible governmental measure aimed fundamentally at safeguarding the independence, integrity, and neutrality of humanitarian action,” the group said
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The UN official warned that Hamas’s actions continued to hamper the delivery of life-saving assistance at a time when civilians across Gaza faced severe hardships
Palestinians in Gaza continue to live in dire humanitarian conditions after Israel’s genocidal war and severe restriction on supplies of humanitarian aid. Israel launched the war in October 2023 after Hamas-led fighters attacked communities in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and taking about 240 captive
In October last year, the two sides agreed to a US-brokered “ceasefire”, which Israel has breached consistently. While the intensity of the fighting has reduced, more than 1,100 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,500 have been wounded since the “ceasefire” took effect. At least four Israeli soldiers have also been killed
Altogether, more than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war
Negotiations to move to a second phase of the US plan to end the war have been stalled for months. According to the plan, Hamas should disarm and Israel should withdraw its forces from Gaza. Neither has taken place yet. Israel instead has expanded the area under its control to more than 60 percent of Gaza, compared to the 53 percent stipulated in the first phase of the deal
