JERUSALEM — Armed Hamas police broke into a Gaza warehouse packed with U.N. humanitarian supplies and seized thousands of blankets and food packages, officials said Wednesday.
It was a rare public clash between the global agency that feeds much of the territory and the militant group that rules it.
And the incident highlighted difficulties facing donors seeking to bypass Hamas while helping Gazans survive and rebuild after Israel’s punishing military operation.
In New York, U.N. deputy spokeswoman Marie Okabe said the U.N. Relief and Works Agency “condemned in the strongest terms” the confiscation of its aid supplies. It demanded the items be returned, but they remained with Hamas late Wednesday.
Hamas police officers stormed an aid warehouse in Gaza City on Tuesday evening and confiscated 3,500 blankets and more than 400 food parcels ready for distribution to 500 families, said UNRWA spokesman Christopher Gunness.
“They were armed. They seized this. They took it by force,” he said, terming the incident “absolutely unacceptable.”
The seizure took place after the UNRWA staff earlier refused to hand over the aid supplies to the Hamas-run Ministry of Social Affairs, he said. Similar aid packages were distributed to 70,000 residents over the past two weeks, Gunness said.
Ahmad Kurd, the Hamas official in charge of the ministry, did not deny the aid was seized, charging that the U.N. was giving the aid to local groups with ties to Hamas foes.
“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, an apparent reference to Fatah, the main opponents of Hamas.
In 2007, Hamas overran Gaza, expelling Fatah forces.
Ihab Ghussein, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said the incident occurred because the U.N. was storing the blankets in an unauthorized area. Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu demanded an apology from the UNRWA, saying the group was “spreading false news.” But control appeared to be at the heart of the issue.
The ability of Hamas to provide aid is crucial to maintaining support for its rule in the territory.
