Hamas slams Israel’s drive against UN, calls it effort to prevent aid to people in Gaza

GAZA CITY(AA) – Hamas has condemned Israel’s campaign against UN institutions, calling it an effort to prevent them from providing relief to people in Gaza.

“The latest is the hollow accusation against the World Health Organization of what Israel called collusion with the Hamas movement, by repeating the false claim about the movement’s use of hospitals in military operations,” Hamas said in a statement.

The Palestinian resistance group also condemned Israel’s accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) with the aim of “cutting off its funding and depriving our people of their right to the services of these international agencies.”

Israel claimed that Hamas is using hospitals in the Gaza Strip for military purposes.

Hamas called on the United Nations and international institutions “not to yield to the Israeli threats and blackmails.”

The group stressed “the importance of the role of these (UN) agencies in providing relief to our people, and documenting the crimes of the occupation (Israeli forces).”

The WHO on Friday rejected Israel’s accusations of “collusion” with Hamas and “turning a blind eye” to the suffering of Israelis held in Gaza.

Since October 7, at least 220 violations by Israel against UN-run institutions have been documented in Gaza.

In relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, Israel has killed at least 26,083 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 64,487 since Oct. 7, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.