In Brief
- A United Nations official has said Hamas was disrupting aid distribution in the Gaza Strip.
- A group of European Union countries has pledged more than a billion dollars to the initial recovery effort in Gaza.
A senior UN official on Monday accused Hamas of interfering with humanitarian deliveries in Gaza and intimidating aid workers, warning that the group's actions were making relief operations increasingly dangerous.
Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas continues to control parts of Gaza, even after Israeli forces expanded their presence across the majority of the territory.
In a statement, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, said he "strongly" condemned the obstruction of humanitarian operations by Gaza's de facto authorities, referring to Hamas.
Hamas's actions "endangered humanitarian personnel, intimidated workers delivering life-saving food assistance and disrupted life-saving humanitarian operations", he said.
Armed men linked to Hamas allegedly forced their way into a food distribution point in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, the UN statement said.
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Militants "also entered a WFP (World Food Programme) warehouse and reportedly assaulted two truck drivers who were delivering humanitarian supplies", it added.
Alakbarov said "these incidents are not isolated" and "reflect an increasingly dangerous pattern of intimidation, violence and obstruction, including smuggling attempts, targeting and abusing humanitarian operations".
He warned that such actions were hampering the delivery of life-saving assistance at a time when civilians across Gaza faced severe hardships.
An official from the Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza rejected the accusations, calling them unfounded.
"These are baseless accusations. The police and security forces continue to protect aid trucks and distribution centres and facilitate the work of international and humanitarian organisations," he told AFP.
He said "the police will not allow any attacks on humanitarian workers".
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body in charge of civilian matters in the Palestinian territories, slammed Hamas over the latest accusation.
"This constitutes further clear evidence that Hamas cynically exploits the humanitarian space and the aid intended for the residents of the Gaza Strip for its own purposes," COGAT said in a statement.
EU pledges to help rebuild war-ravaged Gaza
EU commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica announced the headline figure of "almost 900 million euros or one billion [US] dollars" at the start of a donor meeting in Brussels.
"We now need the conditions on the ground that will allow the support to reach the people in Gaza," Suica said.
The funds — which officials said include money already pledged to help Gaza — would be used to clear debris left from Israel's devastating military offensive and rebuild basic services such as water and sanitation.
"The governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, together with the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, are participating," Brussels said.
The EU said Suica had on a recent visit to Israel "reached agreement with the Israeli authorities on next steps for the implementation of two major projects in the areas of waste and water management in Gaza".
The commissioner said donors "want to start with so-called early recovery, and it is very important to show that we are willing to do it."
"But to do that, we need disarmament of Hamas in order to start proper recovery," she said.
The humanitarian needs of Gaza remain overwhelming.
The United Nations estimates reconstruction will take years and require tens of billions of dollars, as construction materials and debris-clearing equipment remain in critical short supply.
Representatives from US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, meant to help prepare for post-war Gaza, attended the Brussels meeting. Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner also joined online.
"We are trying to have everybody on board," Suica said.
The meeting — which included Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa — was also evaluating reforms by the Palestinian Authority (PA) in light of further aid.
The EU is the biggest international donor to the Palestinians.
"We are aware of the great difficulties you face, so I want to recognise your effort," Suica told Mustafa.
"It is crucial that these reforms fully take hold."
The most politically sensitive reform concerns the PA's system of payments to Palestinian prisoners and to families of those killed in the conflict, often referred to as "martyrs" payments.
Mustafa said an external audit had been carried out and showed "very positive" results that payments were now being made "based on actual needs" in accordance with new legislation.
"So hopefully this will close this chapter," he said.
A ceasefire was reached in Gaza between Israel and Hamas in October following two years of war, which was sparked by the Palestinian militants' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Israeli forces have expanded their presence in recent months, taking control of more than 60 percent of the territory.
Hamas still exerts control over the remaining area, but last week announced it was dissolving its 15-member body that had governed the strip for nearly two decades.
Violence continues in Gaza despite the ceasefire.
At least 1,098 Palestinians have been killed since the truce took effect, according to the territory's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
The Israeli military says it has lost five soldiers in Gaza over the same period, as well as one civilian contractor.
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