A senior United Nations official has accused Hamas of blocking humanitarian aid deliveries in the Gaza Strip. The official warned that the group is making the distribution of emergency food increasingly dangerous for charity workers.
Hamas still holds administrative power over parts of the enclave. This is despite the fact that Israeli forces have expanded their presence to cover more than 60 per cent of the territory.
In an official statement, the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, strongly condemned the actions of the local authorities in Gaza. The coordinator stated that the interference directly risks the lives of aid staff, intimidates workers, and halts emergency food networks.
The United Nations shared details of an incident on Saturday in Jabalia, located in northern Gaza. Armed men linked to Hamas reportedly forced their way into a food distribution hub. The group then entered a World Food Programme warehouse and assaulted two truck drivers delivering emergency supplies.
Ramiz Alakbarov warned that these actions are part of a dangerous pattern of violence, theft, and intimidation against global charities. The official noted that these disruptions are delaying critical food drops at a time when local families face extreme daily hardships.
The dispute comes despite a ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas last October, which aimed to stop two years of intense war. However, the second stage of the peace plan has been stuck for months. This phase requires Hamas to disarm and Israeli troops to gradually leave the area.
While the Israeli military has taken control of the majority of the land, Hamas still governs the remaining sectors. The militant group announced last week that it was dissolving the 15-member civilian committee that had run the Gaza Strip for nearly twenty years.
Despite the current truce, low-level fighting continues to cause casualties. The local health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and is monitored by the UN, reports that at least 1,098 Palestinians have died since the October ceasefire started. Over the same period, the Israeli military confirmed it has lost five soldiers and one civilian contractor inside Gaza.
