The United Nations has accused armed forces affiliated with the Hamas-run government in Gaza of interfering with the delivery of food aid at a distribution site on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Ramiz Alakbarov, the top U.N. humanitarian official in Jerusalem, denounced what he called the \u201cobstruction of humanitarian operations\u201d by the armed men.<\/p>\n
He said they had forced their way into a food distribution center and entered a warehouse, which were operated by the U.N.\u2019s World Food Program. The men had \u201cendangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering lifesaving food assistance and disrupted lifesaving humanitarian operations,\u201d Mr. Alakbarov said. As a result, he said, the agency decided to suspend its work at the center.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese incidents are not isolated. They are completely unacceptable and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction,\u201d said Mr. Alakbarov. He did not name Hamas but referred to it as the \u201cde facto authorities\u201d in Gaza. Nor did he say what other incidents he was referring to.<\/p>\n
Ismail Thawabteh, a spokesman for the Hamas-controlled government, said that Gaza police had raided the warehouse. But he said it was part of an anti-smuggling operation, adding that Mr. Alakbarov \u201cshould have expressed appreciation and gratitude to the government authorities\u201d for preventing the misuse of aid to bring in illicit goods.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian aid groups say many essential goods are still difficult to come by in Gaza despite a nominal truce between Israel and Hamas that was brokered by the Trump administration. The cost of food can often still be higher than before the war, according to Gazans and aid groups. A new assessment of food security by a U.N.-backed monitor is expected later this month.<\/p>\n
The cease-fire freed the remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza, as well as Palestinian prisoners and detainees, but most of the agreement\u2019s promises remain unfulfilled.<\/p>\n
Israeli forces now control well over half of Gaza, hemming roughly two million Palestinian residents into a gradually shrinking portion of territory along the coast. Israel\u2019s military campaign against Hamas leveled much of the enclave, leaving many living in tents or partially destroyed buildings.<\/p>\n
The Israeli military agency that oversees aid to Gaza argued in a recent report that the humanitarian situation has improved significantly since the cease-fire, pointing to the reduced price of food.<\/p>\n
Over the past three years, international aid groups have faulted Israel for imposing restrictions on aid to Gaza. It has been rare for these groups to criticize Hamas.<\/p>\n
Reconstruction and the resumption of normal life are still distant. Israel and the United States both say Gaza cannot be rebuilt unless Hamas \u2014 which still controls what remains of Gaza\u2019s major cities \u2014 agrees to lay down its weapons.<\/p>\n
Hamas has so far refused to do so, pointing to near daily bombings by Israel and its ongoing blockade of Gaza. More than 1,100 people have been killed in Gaza since the cease-fire, according to local health officials, adding to more than 70,000 killed during the two-year war. Their tally does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.<\/p>\n
Palestinians in Gaza are caught between the deadly force of Israel\u2019s military and rule by Hamas, which has cracked down on opponents<\/a>, tortured dissidents<\/a> and, since the cease-fire with Israel, sought to consolidate its power.<\/p>\n After the cease-fire in October, Hamas checkpoints proliferated in Gaza as a show of force, according to four Gazan residents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. Now, amid increasing Israeli strikes, the roadblocks have largely vanished and few police can be seen.<\/p>\n Officials affiliated with Hamas\u2019s Gaza government and security forces now sometimes use the enclave\u2019s hospitals as offices, which they consider to be relatively safe, the four residents said.<\/p>\n Since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel ignited the two-year war, Gazans have suffered from hunger and displacement. Many still depend on humanitarian aid from agencies like the World Food Program or nonprofit groups.<\/p>\n