Top UN official accuses Hamas of Gaza aid obstruction

A senior UN official accused Hamas of interfering with humanitarian deliveries in Gaza and intimidating aid workers, warning that the group's actions were making relief operations increasingly dangerous.

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza, even after Israeli forces expanded their presence across the majority of the territory.

In a statement, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he "strongly" condemned the obstruction of humanitarian operations by Gaza's de facto authorities, referring to Hamas.

Hamas's actions "endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering life-saving food assistance and disrupted life-saving humanitarian operations", he said.

Armed men linked to Hamas allegedly forced their way into a food distribution point in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, on Saturday, the UN statement said.

Militants "also entered a WFP (World Food Programme) warehouse and reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies", it added.

Mr 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 were hampering the delivery of life-saving assistance at a time when civilians across Gaza faced severe hardships.

An official from the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza rejected the accusations, calling them unfounded.

"These are baseless accusations. The police and security forces continue to protect aid trucks and distribution centres and facilitate the work of international and humanitarian organisations," he said.

He said, "the police will not allow any attacks on humanitarian workers".

COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, slammed Hamas over the latest accusation.

"This constitutes further clear evidence that Hamas cynically exploits the humanitarian space and the aid intended for the residents of the Gaza Strip for its own purposes," COGAT said in a statement.

EU puts millions up in recovery funding

The EU said today that European donors had put some $1 billion (€880m) on the table to help initial recovery efforts in war-torn Gaza.

"We will present the initial package today of almost 900 million euros or one billion dollars," Dubravka Suica, EU commissioner for the Mediterranean, said ahead of a donor meeting in Brussels.

"We now need the conditions on the ground that will allow the support to reach the people in Gaza."

The funds, which officials said include money already pledged to help Gaza, would be used to clear debris left from Israel's devastating military offensive and rebuild basic services such as water and sanitation.

"The governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, together with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, are participating," the EU said.

The bloc said Ms Suica had on a recent visit to Israel "reached agreement with the Israeli authorities on next steps for the implementation of two major projects in the areas of waste and water management in Gaza".

The commissioner said donors "want to start with so-called early recovery, and it is very important to show that we are willing to do it."

"But to do that, we need disarmament of Hamas in order to start proper recovery," she said.

The EU is the biggest international donor to the Palestinians.

Palestinian worker killed by IDF

Israeli forces today shot dead a Palestinian worker as he attempted to climb over a barrier separating Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The Ramallah-based ministry reported that 30-year-old Naser Kaabneh "was killed by Israeli gunfire this morning near the apartheid wall in the town of Bir Nabala, northeast of Jerusalem".

Israeli police and border forces did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

The Jerusalem Governorate, a Palestinian regional authority for the area, confirmed the details of the incident.

"He was struck by a direct bullet to the heart while trying to reach his workplace inside the city to support his family," the governorate's media office said.

Israel has imposed several movement restrictions on the three million Palestinians living in the West Bank, which it has occupied since 1967.

Israeli security officials say a significant number of Palestinians from the West Bank attempt to enter Israel illegally, often by climbing over the barrier.

Deaths continue despite ceasfire

A ceasefire was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas in October following two years of war, which was sparked by the Palestinian 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, taking control of more than 60% of the territory.

Hamas still exerts control over the remaining area, but last week announced it was dissolving its 15-member body that had governed the strip for nearly two decades.

Violence continues in Gaza despite the ceasefire.

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 are considered reliable by the United Nations.

The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor.