Israel Halts Aid to Northern Gaza Amid Dispute Over Convoy Security

Israel has stopped humanitarian aid from entering northern Gaza, two officials confirmed Thursday, following the circulation of images showing masked men on aid trucks. The move has ignited a dispute, with Gazan clan leaders insisting the armed men were protecting the vital supplies from theft, not diverting them for Hamas.

The controversy prompted a partial, two-day suspension of aid deliveries. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer confirmed that aid continues to flow into the southern part of the strip but did not comment on the status of deliveries to the hard-hit north.

In Gaza, the Higher Commission for Tribal Affairs, a body representing the region’s influential families, issued a statement clarifying that the convoy protection was managed “solely through tribal efforts.”

The commission and the Hamas terror group, which controls parts of the territory after nearly two years of war, both denied any Hamas involvement in securing the convoys.
“The clans came … to form a stance to prevent the aggressors and the thieves from stealing the food that belongs to our people,” said Abu Salman Al Moghani, a representative of the Gazan clans, referencing Wednesday’s operation.

Amid the halt, one organization, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), said it was exempt from the suspension and continued its work. On Thursday, GHF distributed 38,880 boxes of dry food goods at three of its sites.
“Our hope is this will be a temporary pause and all other aid organizations will soon be able to resume distribution in the region,” said John Acree, GHF’s interim executive director, in a statement. “However, it is imperative that aid be distributed in a responsible way directly to the people who need it.”

After a nearly two-year military campaign by Israel, most of Gaza’s two million residents are displaced and face acute shortages of food and basic supplies. Aid deliveries have been frequently plagued by looting, often by desperate civilians. Israel has produced evidence of Hamas systematically stealing aid for its terrorists, and to resell for profit.