A United Nations official has said Hamas was disrupting aid distribution in the Gaza Strip, placing further hardship on its civilians already grappling with the humanitarian crisis in the war-shattered enclave.
In a statement late on Sunday, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories said humanitarian workers had to halt activity on Saturday after armed men entered a food distribution point in northern Gaza and assaulted two truck drivers in a UN World Food Programme warehouse.
"These incidents are not isolated. They are completely unacceptable and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations," said UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov.
"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," Alakbarov said.
Hamas on Monday denied the allegations. Its media office said the police forces involved were on a law enforcement operation after receiving reports of smuggled cigarettes and mobile phone components concealed inside aid parcels.
"The incident at the World Food Program (WFP) food distribution center in the Abu Rashid area of Jabalia Refugee Camp was neither a 'raid,' an 'attack,' nor an 'obstruction' of humanitarian work, as falsely claimed," Hamas said.