Hamas fires at UN workers, prevents opening of new humanitarian corridor to Gaza

Hamas fired at UN teams and blocked the opening of a new humanitarian corridor in the southern Gaza Strip, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Saturday.

Over the weekend, UN representatives reported to officers of the Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza that during UN efforts to open a new route for truck movement from Kerem Shalom to the humanitarian zone in southern Gaza, armed Hamas militants threatened and deliberately fired at a UN team working in the area, driving them away from the site.

COGAT stated in this regard, “Hamas is desperate to thwart the expansion of the humanitarian response to southern Gaza. We will not allow Hamas to once again create false narratives of crisis in the Gaza Strip.”

UN representatives further reported that the militants seized UN vehicles and used them to set up a sand barrier along the route to prevent future aid trucks from passing into the humanitarian zone.

The new corridor, part of the humanitarian plan for Operation Gideon’s Chariots II, had been scheduled to open in the coming days to expand the flow of aid trucks into the humanitarian zone, including food, medical supplies, tents, and shelter equipment, in accordance with the number of civilians who had moved from Gaza City southward for their protection.

Earlier last week, the UN’s UNICEF agency reported another incident in which gunmen looted four trucks carrying infant food at gunpoint. According to UNICEF, this violent theft deprived 2,700 infants of essential food needed for their development. While Israel permits the entry of vital infant formula into Gaza, Hamas steals it to profit at the expense of the public.

COGAT chief, Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian, commented, “Hamas proves time and again that it has no interest in the welfare of Gaza’s residents but only in its own terror-driven motives. Even when the State of Israel acts together with the UN and international organizations to expand the scope of humanitarian aid, Hamas is desperate to foil these efforts, thereby once again abandoning the residents it claims to represent and enslaving them in order to ensure its own survival.”

Alian concluded: “I strongly condemn Hamas’ attack on UN workers. We will not allow Hamas to once again create false narratives of crisis in the Gaza Strip, and we will continue to expose its cruelty.”

Written by KAN 11 News correspondents Itay Blumenthal and Itsik Zuarets.