US Central Command accused Hamas operatives of looting an aid truck, which was traveling as part of a humanitarian convoy delivering needed assistance from international partners, in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday.
CENTCOM shared a drone video showing the attack on the truck and said that the Operatives attacked the driver and stole the aid and truck after moving the driver to the road’s median.
In a statement, CENTCOM said the US-led Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC) — which is based in Kiryat Gat — “observed suspected Hamas operatives looting an aid truck traveling as part of a humanitarian convoy delivering needed assistance from international partners to Gazans in northern Khan Younis.”
The CMCC was alerted to the incident through video surveillance from an American MQ-9 drone flying over Gaza as part of monitoring of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. “Operatives attacked the driver and stole the aid and truck after moving the driver to the road’s median. The driver’s current status is unknown,” CENTCOM said.
The CENTCOM said that over the past week, international partners have delivered more than 600 trucks of commercial goods and aid into Gaza daily. This incident undermines these efforts. Nearly 40 nations and international organizations represented at the CMCC are working together to help flow humanitarian, logistical and security assistance into Gaza.
Marco Rubio condemns Hamas
Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply condemned Hamas on Saturday after a US military drone video surfaced showing suspected operatives of the terror group looting a truck carrying humanitarian aid bound for civilians in Gaza.
“Hamas continues to deprive the people of Gaza of the humanitarian aid they desperately need,” Rubio wrote on X. “This theft undermines international efforts in support of President Trump’s 20 Point Plan to deliver critical assistance to innocent civilians.”
Rubio said Hamas remains “the impediment,” accusing the terror group of blocking relief intended for civilians. “They must lay down their arms and stop their looting so that Gaza can have a brighter future,” he added.
The CMCC opened on Oct. 17 in southern Israel as a central hub for Gaza aid just days after a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect.
The centre serves as the main hub for Gaza stabilisation efforts and includes an operations floor designed to track real-time developments inside Gaza.
Data published in August by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) showed that most of its aid entering the war-torn Gaza Strip had been looted inside the Palestinian territory.
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