Hamas Issues Warning on US-Backed Food Distribution Sites in Gaza
Hamas is cautioning desperate Palestinians against heading to the controversial US-backed food distribution sites in Gaza, which saw chaos erupt upon opening on Tuesday as thousands of hungry Gazans stormed the aid center.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) faced a tumultuous start at its first food distribution site in Rafah, with viral footage capturing the hungry masses pushing back workers and seizing boxes of aid from the site.
“The needs on the ground are significant,” the GHF stated. “At one point in the late afternoon, the sheer volume of people at the site was so overwhelming that the GHF team had to step back to allow a small number of Gazans to receive aid safely and disperse.”
Both the group and Israeli officials alleged, without providing evidence, that Hamas had attempted to block civilians from reaching the aid distribution center.
The terror group, however, denied the accusations and issued a warning on Monday claiming that the Israeli-approved sites were part of a scheme to compel Palestinians into concentrated neighborhoods in Gaza to facilitate the Jewish state’s military operation to take over the entire enclave.
Hamas also contended that the sites featured biometric screenings and were covertly operated by the Israel Defense Forces.
Hamas ultimately criticized Tuesday’s chaos as a result of “mismanagement” between the GHF and Israel, leading to the IDF firing warning shots to regain control of the aid center.
The Rafah site is the first of four established by the GHF to assist in feeding Gaza’s starving population while also preventing aid from falling into Hamas’ control.
Individuals seeking food must undergo facial recognition technology, sparking fears among some Palestinians that such data could end up in Israeli hands.
Details on the system’s operation have not been publicly disclosed, with the GHF facing backlash from the United Nations and other international aid groups who accused the organization of compromising the independent principle of humanitarian aid.
The GHF also witnessed the resignation of its head, US military veteran Jake Wood, on Sunday after voicing concerns over the impartiality of the initiative and the insufficient aid reaching Gaza.
About 8,000 food boxes were distributed on Tuesday, as Gaza’s nearly 2 million refugees grow increasingly desperate for sustenance, according to the UN.
Hamas reported that it had executed four men for looting aid trucks that entered Gaza on Monday.
The men were purportedly part of a local gang that had been raiding the trucks, leading to the deaths of six Hamas officers last week after the IDF allegedly mistook them for the thieves, a source informed Reuters.
Yasser Abu Shabab, a leader of a prominent clan in Rafah, openly challenged Hamas and shared images of his men assisting international aid groups in distributing food.
Hamas accused Abu Shabab of looting from the trucks and colluding with Israel to undermine the terror group.
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