Hamas: Israel’s blockage of aid into Gaza is a war crime

Hamas said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel has blocked crossings into Gaza for a third consecutive day, the entry of food, medical and other aid in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

“Blocking aid into Gaza is a war crime committed in front of the world, further exacerbating the humanitarian catastrophe.”

“The international community, the United Nations, and human rights and humanitarian organizations must take immediate action to stop these systematic and unprecedented violations of international and humanitarian law, hold the Israeli leaders accountable as war criminals, and allow the aid, humanitarian and medical relief materials entry.

For his part, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said Israel’s suspension of deliveries threatened lives among Gaza’s 2.3 million population, exhausted by war.

“Aid and these basic services are non-negotiable. They must never be used as weapons of war,” Lazzarini said in a post on X.

“Humanitarian aid must continue to flow at a scale similar to what we’ve seen over the past six weeks when the ceasefire began.”

He further pointed out that the vast majority of the people in Gaza rely on aid for their sheer survival.