Armed Hamas policemen broke into a warehouse in Gaza City and confiscated thousands of blankets and hundreds of food packages intended for UNWRA refugees, an official from the relief and human development agency said on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Tuesday after the Ministry of Social Affairs unsuccessfully tried to confiscate food and other UNRWA supplies that were being transported to the organization's storage areas and the agency's staff resisted, said John Ging, UNRWA's operations director in the Gaza Strip.
A few Hamas policemen confiscated 3,500 blankets and more than 400 food packages prepared for distribution from an UNRWA warehouse on Tuesday afternoon, he said.
"They took it under gunpoint," Ging told The Jerusalem Post from the UNRWA headquarters in Gaza City. "My staff had resisted earlier the confiscation of the convoy, as they are absolutely instructed to do…Compliments to them for that, but unfortunately, later, they came and took it by gunpoint."
"We are very upset about this," he said. "This is stealing aid destined for the refugees. We have demanded that it be returned."
The agency has communicated with Hamas officials regarding its demand, but had yet to receive a response from them as of Wednesday afternoon, he said.
He added: "We expect to get the aid back. This aid is for the refugees, not for anybody else, not for any political parties. This aid was donated to us, through us, for the refugees, and we have to have integrity for the aid effort here in Gaza."
Responding to the theft, Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog, who overlooks humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, said the incident was "further proof that Hamas is continuing to make life miserable for the population of Gaza and will use any means to intensify its suffering."
During Operation Cast Lead, Herzog said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon, "Hamas leaders worried about their own welfare and security while totally neglecting the
population."
He said that Israel would continue to demand that any aid transferred to the Strip be "directed for the welfare of the civilian population only."
In the past month the IDF alleged on several occasions that Hamas has stolen humanitarian assistance designated for Gaza civilians.
An IDF official said the army noticed the trend already during Operation Cast Lead last month when despite the fighting, Israel transferred close to 80 trucks a day to the Strip.
Wednesday marked the first time that the UN admitted that such a theft had occurred.
Nuaf Atar, a Fatah operative captured during the operation, told the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) that Hamas government officials "took over" humanitarian aid Israel allowed in to the Gaza Strip and sold it when it was supposed to be distributed for free.
Ging said Wednesday's incident was the first time that Hamas had stolen food or supplies from them and added that he hoped it would be the last.
Ahmad Kurd, the Hamas official in charge of the ministry, did not deny the seizure of the aid Wednesday, charging the UN was giving the aid to local groups with ties to Hamas opponents.
"UNRWA did not do what it said it would do, and began distributing its aid to groups that tie their activities to political activism," Kurd said.
But Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu demanded an apology and said UNRWA was "spreading false news." Ihab Ghussein, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the incident occurred because the UN was "storing the blankets in an area not authorized to be distributed."
Alix de Mauny, a spokeswoman for the European Commission which contributed $626 million to Palestinian in 2008, said "We are very concerned, but this is an isolated incident, we hope. We will react accordingly if this develops beyond an isolated incident."
Tovah Lazaroff and AP contributed to this report.
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