The United Nations issued a rare condemnation of Hamas on Monday after terrorists from the organization took over a humanitarian distribution point in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday and violently attacked drivers of aid trucks. In the statement, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, avoided referring to members of the terror group as “terrorists,” but sharply criticized their conduct.
“I strongly condemn the recent obstruction of humanitarian operations in Gaza by the de facto authorities (Hamas), which endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering lifesaving food assistance and disrupted life-saving humanitarian operations,” Alakbarov wrote in the UN statement.
“These incidents are not isolated,” he said. “They are unacceptable and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations. They are placing humanitarian workers at risk, disrupting the delivery of life-saving assistance, and further constraining the ability of humanitarian organizations to operate at a time when civilians across Gaza continue to face immense and pressing humanitarian conditions..”
The incident that prompted the UN’s unusual condemnation took place Saturday, when gunmen identified with Hamas forcibly entered the Abu Rashad food distribution point in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip, forcing aid distribution there to stop. According to the UN statement, the same elements also entered a World Food Program warehouse and attacked two truck drivers transporting humanitarian supplies.
“Direct threats to staff, interference with humanitarian supplies, and the shrinking humanitarian operating space continue to jeopardize operational continuity. At the same time, the expansion of areas under Israeli control is further reducing the space available to civilians, making it imperative that humanitarian assistance is able to move safely and reach people in need without interference,” Alakbarov wrote in his condemnation.
Humanitarian aid enters through the Rafah crossing
(Photo: Ali Moustafa/Getty Images)
“I call for an immediate end to all interference with humanitarian operations and to respect their independence, impartiality and neutrality,” he added. “Civilians, including humanitarian personnel, must always be protected, and rapid, safe and unimpeded passage of impartial humanitarian relief must be facilitated."
Following the incident, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories issued a statement to Gaza residents citing the UN condemnation.
“Hamas has once again proven that it will stop at nothing to exploit the humanitarian aid intended for you for its own criminal interests,” the COGAT statement said. “Your needs do not interest them. Hamas terrorists are busy only preserving their power, terrorizing the population and stealing the aid meant to reach you.”
“The facts are clear,” the statement continued. “Humanitarian aid is entering the Gaza Strip. Hamas is the one seizing it, disrupting the distribution mechanisms and preventing it from reaching you. We will not allow the terrorist organization to continue exploiting the humanitarian space for its own purposes, and we will continue to act against any attempt to harm the aid intended for the population.”