Gaza aid restricted as Netanyahu admits to paying rival gangs

Critical assistance remains out of reach and reports suggest that the Israeli leader has endorsed groups seizing relief supplies, worsening the hardships for people already living under dire conditions.

- By Mel Frykberg

Despite the ceasefire agreement signed several weeks ago between Israel and Hamas, Tel Aviv is continuing to restrict aid to Gaza. At the same time, about 240 Palestinians, many of them women and children, have been killed in daily Israeli military attacks on the coastal territory since the signing.

Furthermore, reports indicate that Israel purposely armed, financed and supported Gaza criminal gangs in looting aid while accusing Hamas of this.

Israel is still blocking most of the aid that was supposed to enter Gaza as agreed in the ceasefire deal, Al Jazeera reported.

In total, since 10 October, 67 requests submitted by 27 local and international NGOs for the entry of more than 3,200 metric tonnes of relief materials have been denied on the grounds that the organisations were not authorised to bring these items into Gaza, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported at the end of October.

“Israel is still restricting aid to West Gaza, with an average of around 95 trucks entering per day during the first 20 days of the ceasefire — well below the 600 per day stipulated in the agreement between Israel and Hamas,” said Kenneth Roth, former Human Rights Watch director.

Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the remains of Israeli captives, but Hamas says Israel had prevented excavation equipment and DNA medical kits from entering Gaza, The Guardian reported.

Extensive media coverage has been given to allegations that much of the aid was previously looted by Hamas. However, according to a number of reports, including by The Times of Israel and The New York Times, the Israeli military said there was no systematic looting by Hamas.