At 1:30pm on February 3, over 3,500 blankets and 406 food parcels were confiscated from a distribution store at Beach Camp in Gaza by police personnel. This took place after UNRWA staff had earlier refused to hand over the aid supplies to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs. The police subsequently broke into the warehouse and seized the aid by force. The aid was due to be distributed to five hundred families in the area.
UNRWA condemns in the strongest terms the confiscation of its aid supplies and has demanded that it is returned immediately. UNRWA has a strict system of monitoring aid delivery and ensuring that its assistance reaches only the intended beneficiaries. Our officials were on the ground overseeing the delivery of our aid and taking all possible steps to avoid its diversion.
Statement by Minister Herzog: Robbing of UN Warehouses by Hamas – Further Proof That Hamas Will Use Any Means to Intensify Gazans’ Suffering
Minister Isaac Herzog, who is responsible for the humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, says that the robbing of UN warehouses by Hamas is further proof that Hamas is continuing to make life miserable for the population of Gaza and will use any means to intensify its suffering. It will be recalled that during Operation Cast Lead, Hamas leaders worried about their own welfare and security while totally neglecting the population. Israel will continue to insist on its demand that humanitarian assistance transferred to the Gaza Strip is directed for the welfare of the civilian population only, without allowing Hamas to benefit from it. Minister Herzog emphasizes that even at the present time, when firing at Israel continues, Israel is continuing in its humanitarian efforts on behalf of the population in the Gaza Strip.
UNWRA Condemns Hamas
Statement by UNRWA Condemning the Confiscation of Gaza Aid and Demanding Its Immediate Return
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