Senior UN Official Accuses Hamas of Impeding Gaza Aid Operations

JERUSALEM — A senior United Nations official warned on Monday that Hamas is interfering with humanitarian deliveries in Gaza and intimidating aid workers, making relief operations increasingly dangerous.
The Palestinian Islamist movement still controls parts of Gaza, even though Israeli forces now occupy more than 60 % of the territory.
In a statement, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he “strongly” condemns the obstruction of humanitarian operations by Gaza’s de‑facto authorities — a reference to Hamas.
Hamas’s actions “endanger humanitarian personnel, intimidate workers delivering life‑saving food assistance and disrupt life‑saving humanitarian operations,” he said.
Armed men linked to Hamas allegedly forced their way into a food distribution point in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Saturday, according to the UN statement.
Militants “also entered a WFP (World Food Programme) warehouse and reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies,” the statement added.
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.”
He warned that such actions are hampering the delivery of life‑saving assistance at a time when civilians across Gaza face severe hardships.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was reached in Gaza in October, ending two years of war that began with the militants’ unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
The second phase of the ceasefire — which was to involve Hamas’s disarmament and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — has been stalled for months.
Israeli forces have expanded their presence in recent months, gaining control of more than 60 % of the territory.
Hamas still holds sway over the remaining area, but announced last week that it was dissolving its 15‑member governing body that had ruled the strip for nearly two decades.
Violence continues in Gaza despite the truce.
At least 1,098 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, according to the territory’s health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.
The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor.

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