UN says Hamas disrupted aid distribution in Gaza amid shortages

Aid workers halted operations in northern Gaza after armed men entered a food distribution point and assaulted two truck drivers inside a World Food Program warehouse, adding another break in a supply chain already strained by hunger, displacement and destroyed infrastructure. The interruption came as agencies struggled to move food and other relief inside the enclave, not just across its borders.

The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for the Palestinian territories said the incident forced aid workers to stop activity on Saturday. Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov said the events fit an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction that put humanitarian staff at risk and threatened the delivery of life-saving assistance. His warning underscored a central bottleneck in Gaza: even when supplies reach the edge of the territory, getting them safely to civilians remains uncertain.

Hamas pushed back sharply. Its media office said police were carrying out a law-enforcement operation after reports that cigarettes and mobile phone components had been smuggled inside aid parcels. Hamas rejected the U.N. description of the episode as a raid or attack on humanitarian work and said the allegations were false. The dispute showed how aid distribution has become politically charged inside Gaza, where control over warehouses, convoys and local policing can determine whether supplies move or stop.

The confrontation landed in a territory that has been shattered for more than two and a half years since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered the war. Israeli bombardment and ground operations displaced nearly the entire population of about two million people, many of whom are now living in tents or damaged buildings along a narrow coastal strip still governed by Hamas. Israeli troops remain in control of more than 60% of Gaza, including all of its access points, leaving relief groups to navigate fragmented territory and shifting security conditions.

Ceasefire talks meant to produce Hamas disarmament and an Israeli withdrawal have been faltering for months, leaving the aid system caught between military control, armed interference and worsening civilian need. The result is a delivery chain in which food, medicine and other supplies can be blocked not only at the frontier, but also inside Gaza itself, where protection for drivers, warehouse staff and distribution points has become as critical as the shipments they handle.