UN halts aid over Hamas 'theft'
Griff Witte, Gaza City
February 8, 2009
A UNITED Nations aid agency that serves more than half the 1.5 million residents of the Gaza Strip has suspended humanitarian shipments, accusing Hamas of confiscating UN material for the second time in a week.

The UN Relief and Works Agency said Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza, had seized 10 trucks filled with rice and flour. Earlier last week, the agency had accused Hamas' police force of confiscating blankets and food from a UN-affiliated warehouse. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Hamas to release the aid immediately. In a statement from New York, the UN said the suspension would remain in place "until the aid is returned and the agency is given credible assurances from the Hamas Government in Gaza that there will be no repeat of these thefts".

The suspension comes as Gaza's residents are still reeling from the effects of a 22-day Israeli offensive in the coastal territory.

About 1300 Palestinians died in the conflict, which ended nearly three weeks ago with a tenuous ceasefire. Thousands more were injured or left homeless.

Thirteen Israelis were killed in the war, which Israel says was intended to halt persistent Hamas rocket fire from the strip.

Hamas officials in Gaza denied that the Islamist movement had seized the trucks, saying there had been a misunderstanding. But in an interview, Hamas Economics Minister Ziyad al-Zaza defended the group's decision to take 3500 blankets and 400 food packages from the warehouse.

Mr Zaza said some employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency had been telling recipients that the aid was a gift of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Mr Abbas is leader of the Fatah party, Hamas' chief Palestinian rival.

"UNRWA is supposed to do work that is purely humanitarian," Mr Zaza said. "But some of their employees want to use the aid to play politics."

John Ging, head of the relief agency in Gaza, called the allegation "nonsense", saying Hamas' actions had "crossed a red line".

"We're not going to bring aid in here and let it be hijacked by Hamas or anyone else," he said.

Fatah has had no formal presence in Gaza since June 2007, when Hamas forces routed Abbas loyalists. Since then, Mr Abbas' power has been confined to the West Bank, while Hamas has had control in Gaza.

Hamas defeated Fatah in 2006 Palestinian legislative elections.

Israel has placed strict restrictions on the transfer of goods into Gaza since the Hamas takeover.

The embargo has severely curtailed reconstruction efforts since the war ended.

Israel Defence Forces spokesman Major Peter Lerner said Hamas' seizure of the aid was evidence that it intended to use any materials sent into the strip for its own gain rather than to help the broader population.

Hamas has been pushing for border crossings to be opened during negotiations in Egypt aimed at producing a ceasefire of a year or more. "We will not accept a truce unless it is in return for lifting the siege, opening border crossings and acceleration of the reconstruction of Gaza," Hamas leader Khaled Meshal said.

In time of war hamas uses civilians as human shield. In time of peace they need image of starving children to blame Israel.

Appears the UN are not happy and  call it theft regardless of excuses mantra.

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oh dear...  

The seizure took place after 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 the U.N. 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, 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 UNRWA, saying the group was "spreading false news."

John Ging, the top U.N. official in Gaza, said ordinary people are not getting sufficient help in time.

"There isn't enough access to Gaza. There are thousands of tons of assistance generously donated, sitting in Egypt, Jordan and the ports in Israel. That aid should be right here, right now, helping the people who need it," he said. "The crossing points have to open."

Talks dragged on over how to extend a cease-fire between Israel and the fundamentalist Islamic group and open the territory's crossings but apart from a handful of trucks sent by a charity sponsored by Egypt's ruling party, no cargo had gone through the Rafah crossing by the early afternoon Thursday. It was unclear why Egypt was curbing shipments.

Ahmed al-Kurd, the Hamas government minister of social affairs in Gaza, noted that Egypt is only allowing medical supplies through on its side of the border.

"The real demand is lifting the siege and opening the borders," said al-Kurd. "Food shipments cannot stay much longer at the borders."

I'll have a look at it properly later Tallow and if I'm wrong I'll apologise.  I heard that it was done for fair distribution as the aid seized was only going to one group of people.  There are only 70,000 who have received aid out of a population of more than a million - so even though people would get less at least they would get something.

HAMAS has at other times stolen the aid and sold it to the highest bidders.

What is interesting about this news story, is not that HAMAS stole aid from the UN, that happens all the time - more that the UN actually noticed and said something.

mantra wrote on Feb 8^th, 2009 at 7:39pm:


Mantra,

Your Hamas humanitarians appear to be something else.
Perhaps mercenary thieves who could not give a stuff about anyone except themselves and their murderous mates.
As time goes by the full extent of the pro hamas spin will unravel into a grubby heap perhaps.

This latest round of theiving is just one more in a list that apparently started as soon as the cease fire came into effect and most likely has been going on well before operation cast lead.

This story from the Turkish weekly, 13/01/09.


Quote:


Source: http://turkishweekly.net/news/63220/hamas-raids-aid-trucks-sells-supplies.html

How does stealing food and medical supplies, then selling it to the highest bidder equate with any sort of humanitarianism?

I read the post title and thought the Australian Navy must be getting a new stealth warship.

Imagine my disappointment.