An aid truck drives along a dusty road after entering through the Kissufim crossing in southern Israel, towards Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
In a statement, the group said the US claims aimed to “justify the already limited humanitarian aid” reaching Gaza and “cover up the international community’s failure to end the blockade and starvation of civilians.”
The US military on Saturday released drone footage it said was taken over Gaza on 31 October, allegedly showing Hamas fighters attacking a truck carrying aid, assaulting its driver, and seizing its contents before fleeing, the first such release from US drones monitoring the ceasefire.
Responding to the video, Hamas said, “The chaos and looting ended the moment the Israeli occupation forces withdrew, proving that the occupation was the only party that sponsored those gangs and managed the disorder accompanying its presence.”
The Palestinian resistance group added that if US drones “captured an alleged scene of a truck, they somehow failed to see or record the daily crimes of the Israeli occupation, crimes the entire world witnesses with its conscience and humanity.”
Hamas also accused Washington of ignoring Israeli violations of the ceasefire, saying US drones “failed to record the killing of 254 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, 91 percent of them civilians, including 105 children, 37 women, and nine elderly people.” The group also reported that Israel injured 595 Palestinians, among them 199 children and 136 women.
“Those drones did not capture the daily breaches of the 'yellow line' by Israeli forces, who maintain fire control over 25 square kilometres, roughly 10 percent of Gaza, nor the systemic demolition of civilian homes in areas still under occupation.”
The statement went on to denounce ongoing Israeli control over Gaza’s humanitarian lifeline, “Less than 9.4 percent of the agreed fuel has entered Gaza, while Israel continues to restrict access to basic food and proteins such as eggs, chicken, and meat, depriving civilians for two years. Nor do they see the hungry who survive on minimal aid while justice and international oversight remain absent.”
It said only around 135 aid trucks enter Gaza daily—far below the 600 truck minimum needed to get by—while most other trucks are commercial and “beyond the reach of impoverished residents.”
“We remind the US administration that other, more credible international intermediaries saw no evidence of what Washington claims,” Hamas concluded. “By adopting the occupation’s narrative, the US deepens its unethical bias and becomes complicit in the siege and suffering.”
Humanitarian crisis deepens
As winter approaches, humanitarian agencies warn of deteriorating conditions across the Gaza Strip.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said aid stockpiles sufficient to shelter one million people remain blocked by Israeli authorities, while Gaza’s government media office reported that only a fraction of agreed deliveries are entering the enclave.
Between October 10 and 31, approximately 3,200 trucks crossed into Gaza, averaging 145 per day, which is well below the 600 stipulated under the ceasefire terms.
Dr Munir al-Barsh, Director General of Gaza’s Ministry of Health, told Al Jazeera that Israeli authorities continue to block medicines and medical supplies and prevent international organizations from assisting.
Israeli ceasefire violations
Despite the Gaza Agreement ceasefire, proposed by US President Donald Trump and signed at the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace by mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey on 10 October, Israel has continued to carry out strikes across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 250 Palestinians, according to local authorities.
On Sunday morning, Israeli air and artillery attacks targeted Khan Younis, Rafah, and Deir al-Balah, while large-scale demolitions were reported overnight east of Khan Younis.
Since October 2023, Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 68,858 Palestinians and wounded 170,664 others, most of them women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
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