UN Accuses Hamas of Seizing Gaza Food Warehouse and Assaulting Aid Drivers

Hamas militants forcibly seized control of a United Nations World Food Programme food distribution compound in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza last Saturday, suspending operations and cutting off daily food assistance to thousands of families. The UN issued an unusually direct public statement Monday condemning the incident, while the IDF's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) published a sharp denunciation addressed to Gaza's civilian population.

According to the UN's account, Hamas operatives stormed the WFP-operated compound by force, seized control of the on-site food warehouse, and physically assaulted two truck drivers delivering humanitarian supplies to the facility. The violence compelled an immediate suspension of operations at the compound, which had been providing daily food assistance to thousands of Gazan families.

The UN's Humanitarian Coordinator for the Palestinian Territories, Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, was explicit that Monday's statement was not a response to an isolated incident. "These events are not isolated cases," he said. "They are completely unacceptable and reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence, and disruption — including smuggling attempts, interference with humanitarian operations, and abuse." He warned that such conduct endangers humanitarian workers, disrupts the delivery of life-saving aid, and further erodes the capacity of relief organizations to function at a time when civilians across Gaza face severe and urgent humanitarian conditions.

Alakbarov called on Hamas to respect international humanitarian law, to protect aid workers, facilities, and supply shipments, and to cease all actions that obstruct humanitarian operations. His statement represented one of the most direct and unambiguous public accusations the UN has directed at Hamas over systematic interference with aid delivery inside the Gaza Strip.

COGAT, headed by Major General Yoav Har-Even, published a message in Arabic on its Al-Munsiq Facebook page addressed directly to Gaza's civilian population. "Last Saturday, Hamas militants entered by force a food distribution compound operated by the WFP in the Jabalia area and brought about the suspension of food distribution that had been providing a daily response to thousands of families," the statement read. "According to the UN's own report, those militants seized control of the WFP food warehouse and violently assaulted two truck drivers transporting humanitarian supplies."

The statement continued: "We strongly condemn this grave incident. Hamas has once again proven that it will stop at nothing to exploit humanitarian aid — aid intended for you — for its own criminal interests. Your needs do not concern them. Hamas militants are consumed solely with preserving their grip on power, terrorizing the population, and stealing the aid that was meant to reach you."

Israeli officials emphasized that the incident is consistent with a pattern documented repeatedly throughout the war. COGAT stated that the facts on the ground demonstrate that humanitarian aid continues to enter Gaza — but that Hamas is systematically disrupting distribution mechanisms, seizing shipments, and preventing them from reaching civilians. "We will not allow the terrorist organization to continue exploiting the humanitarian space for its own purposes, and we will continue to act against every attempt to divert aid intended for the civilian population," the statement concluded.

The Jabalia compound had been one of the primary food distribution hubs serving the densely populated northern Gaza area. Its shutdown has left thousands of families without a daily food source at a time when humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned of acute and worsening food insecurity across the territory. The WFP has not announced a timeline for resuming operations.

The incident has intensified scrutiny over whether humanitarian aid entering Gaza is reaching civilians or being systematically diverted by Hamas. By characterizing the takeover as part of a "recurring pattern," Alakbarov signaled that the UN is now prepared to publicly attribute the systematic obstruction of aid delivery directly to Hamas — rather than treating it as an incidental byproduct of broader conflict conditions.