Hamas seized UNICEF trucks carrying baby formula for Gazans


The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the vehicles were intercepted just outside the UNICEF compound.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Israel accused Hamas on Thursday of hijacking four UNICEF aid trucks loaded with baby formula in Gaza City, calling it a direct attack on humanitarian relief efforts.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said the vehicles were intercepted just outside the UNICEF compound.

“The trucks were commandeered right outside the UNICEF compound in Gaza City, a direct assault on humanitarian work,” the Israeli agency said.

UNICEF confirmed the seizure, saying “armed individuals” stopped the trucks at gunpoint, diverted the cargo, and later released both the drivers and the vehicles.

The organization stressed that the incident deprived thousands of vulnerable children of urgently needed nutrition.

“This theft has denied at least 2,700 severely and acutely malnourished children of life-saving RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food) — vital supplies at a time when famine has been declared in the north of Gaza and the ongoing military operation is creating further displacement and adding to the devastating impact on children,” UNICEF said in its statement.

COGAT asserted that while Israel has allowed baby food and other essentials into Gaza, Hamas has repeatedly exploited such shipments.

“While Israel allows the entry of vital baby food into Gaza, Hamas steals it to profit from the public,” the agency said. “This formula was meant to be distributed for free by UNICEF. Once again, Hamas proves that it has no interest in the well-being of the people, only in its own terror motives.”

UNICEF and other agencies have pressed for safe, uninterrupted access to deliver supplies, but aid convoys in Gaza remain vulnerable to seizure and disruption.

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