Gaza authorities hit back at US claim of 'Hamas suspects' looting aid

Gaza's authorities on Saturday denied claims by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) that "suspected Hamas members" looted aid in Khan Younis, after the US military body shared drone footage of the alleged incident.

CENTCOM said on X that the looting took place on Friday and was detected by a US MQ-9 aerial drone that was monitoring the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. 

"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. 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," the statement said.

The post was reshared by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reiterated the claim of Hamas looting aid.

Gaza's Government Media Office slammed the claims as "false and part of a systematic disinformation campaign". The office said the allegations were "fabricated and aimed at discrediting the Palestinian security forces, who secure and escort aid convoys until they reach distribution centres".

It questioned who the international partners referenced in the post were, highlighting that international groups working in Gaza "have testified that the police forces were not involved in any looting operations, and have even confirmed that they contributed to preventing such attacks despite being deliberately targeted by the occupation forces".

The statement also noted that US CENTCOM's claim that 40 nations and international organisations are helping direct aid into Gaza is misleading, as there are "only 22 organizations are actually working to provide humanitarian relief, most of which suffer from obstruction and restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation".

Prior to the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in aerly October, incidents of aid looting were noted, with Hamas accusing Israel-backed gangs of perpetrating the attacks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has admitted to arming militias in Gaza, many of whom are linked to looting and criminal activity.

On Friday, the UN noted a significant fall in incidents of aid looting in Gaza. UN Spokesperson Stephan Dujarric said in a briefing that just 5 percent of supplies were intercepted between 10 October and 28 October, compared to 80 percent intercepted between 19 May and 9 October.

The world body has also highlighted that Israel is still imposing severe restrictions on aid to Gaza, with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) accusing Tel Aviv of "weaponising" humanitarian aid.