A UN spokesman says Hamas police in Gaza have seized thousands of blankets and food parcels meant for needy residents.
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Spokesman Christopher Gunness says Hamas police raided a UN warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday evening. He says police snatched 3,500 blankets and more than 400 food parcels.
The aid is vital now because Gazans are facing hardship after Israel's three-week military offensive against Hamas.
Hamas has ruled Gaza since it seized control of the territory in 2007. Gunness said Wednesday this is the first time Hamas has seized UN aid.
Israeli officials have charged that the militant group routinely confiscates supplies meant for needy Gazans.
A Hamas government spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' government announced a $600 million reconstruction program for Gaza on Wednesday, most of which would be funded by foreign donors.
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who heads Abbas' Western-backed government, said the project would cover all houses destroyed or damaged during a 22-day Israeli military
offensive.
Post-war Gaza (Photo: AP)
"The amount of the project is $600 million. Most of it will come from donors," Fayyad said in a speech, adding that the details would be announced in the coming days.
The Gaza Strip is ruled by Hamas Islamists who seized control of the territory from forces loyal to Abbas in 2007 after winning an election the previous year.
Egypt is to host an international conference in coordination with Abbas' Palestinian Authority on March 2 on Gaza reconstruction, whose cost has been estimated at $2 billion.
Saudi Arabia has said it would donate $1 billion.
Last week, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit urged Europe to help with fast aid for the Gaza Strip, saying the reconstruction meeting would require damage assessments and the support of the European Union, the United Nations and others.
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