Israel has blocked aid entering northern Gaza but continues to allow aid entry from the southern region, officials say.
In a statement released late Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Netanyahu had given the military two days to come up with a plan to stop Hamas from seizing control of aid.
According to fresh, unidentified information they cited, Hamas was stealing aid meant for civilians in northern Gaza.
Numerous masked men riding on aid trucks were seen in a video that went viral on Wednesday. The majority of the men were carrying sticks, but some were carrying rifles.
David Mencer, a spokesman for the Israeli government, informed reporters that aid was still coming in from the south but did not say if any supplies were coming in from the north.
The only humanitarian group allowed to distribute food in Gaza on Thursday was the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs aid distribution centers in southern and central Gaza, according to X.
Deliveries of humanitarian aid into the region were suspended for two days, but the foundation was exempt, according to a spokesperson.
Trucks were safeguarded as part of an aid security procedure run “solely through tribal efforts,” according to the Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, which speaks for powerful clans in Gaza.
“No Palestinian faction,” the commission said, referring to Hamas, had participated in the process.
Any involvement was denied by Hamas, that has dominated Gaza for more than 20 years but now only holds control of a portion of the territory following almost two years of conflict with Israel.
Many clans, civil society organizations, and factions—including Fatah, Hamas’ secular political rival—have stepped in to help secure the aid convoys during the conflict.
