The United Nations has acknowledged that armed men affiliated with Gaza’s Hamas-run authorities have intimidated humanitarian workers, assaulted aid drivers and disrupted the delivery of lifesaving food supplies.
Ramiz Alakbarov, the U.N. deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said armed individuals forced their way into a food distribution site in northern Gaza on Saturday before entering a World Food Program warehouse.
The men reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies, forcing aid workers to suspend food distributions.
Although Alakbarov did not identify Hamas by name, he twice said those responsible were affiliated with Gaza’s “de facto authorities.” Hamas has ruled the enclave since seizing power in 2007.
The statement marks a significant acknowledgment by the United Nations after years of disputes over Israeli claims that Hamas and other armed groups were interfering with humanitarian aid in Gaza.
“The U.N. at last states the obvious on systemic Hamas theft and diversion of aid in Gaza,” a senior U.S. official told the Jewish News Syndicate.
The official said investigators from the inspector general’s office at the U.S. Agency for International Development had repeatedly documented Hamas interference with aid deliveries during the past two years.
According to the official, those warnings were largely disregarded by U.N. agencies until now.
Alakbarov said the latest incidents were “not isolated” but reflected a growing pattern of violence, intimidation and obstruction directed at humanitarian operations.
He cited alleged smuggling attempts, abuse of aid programs and the targeting of humanitarian personnel.
U.N. officials have previously acknowledged that desperate civilians and armed criminal gangs have stolen or diverted humanitarian supplies. The latest statement, however, directly connects the interference to armed individuals affiliated with the authorities governing Gaza.
Alakbarov also criticized Israel, arguing that the expansion of areas under Israeli military control has reduced the territory available to Gaza’s civilian population.
He said humanitarian aid must be allowed to move safely and reach civilians without interference.
Israeli forces continue to operate in parts of the Gaza Strip as the United States and other international parties press for a ceasefire agreement that would include the disarmament of Hamas and the release of remaining hostages.
The admission adds new weight to longstanding Israeli concerns that humanitarian aid intended for Gaza’s civilian population has been exploited, obstructed or diverted by Hamas and other armed groups.
