{"id":828504,"date":"2025-02-20T13:12:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/hamas-accuses-israel-of-delaying-gaza-aid\/"},"modified":"2025-02-20T13:12:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:12:00","slug":"hamas-accuses-israel-of-delaying-gaza-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/20\/hamas-accuses-israel-of-delaying-gaza-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamas accuses Israel of delaying Gaza aid"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

An aid convoy destined for Gaza assembles in the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo. – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA\/AFP\/File POOL<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n

Didier LAURAS<\/em><\/p>\n

Hamas officials accused Israel on Wednesday of delaying aid deliveries to Gaza and jeopardising a truce and hostage release deal, an allegation Israel dismissed as \u201cfake news.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since a ceasefire in the war in Gaza took effect on January 19, truckloads of aid have been allowed into the devastated Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

The truce is hinged on the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023 attack, in exchange for 1,900 people held in Israeli jails.<\/p>\n

Hamas has so far released seven hostages, with 290 prisoners freed in exchange. Three more hostages are due to be released on Thursday.<\/p>\n

But two senior Hamas officials accused Israel of slowing down aid deliveries, with one citing items key to Gaza\u2019s recovery such as fuel, tents, heavy machinery and other equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to the agreement, these materials were supposed to enter during the first week of the ceasefire,\u201d one official said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe warn that continued delays and failure to address these points will affect the natural progression of the agreement, including the prisoner exchange.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel hit back at the accusation, with a spokesman for COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, calling it \u201ctotally fake news\u201d.<\/p>\n

Between Sunday and 1100 GMT on Wednesday, \u201c3,000 trucks entered Gaza\u201d, the spokesman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe agreement says it should be 4,200 in seven days,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

As the text of the agreement that Qatar, Egypt and the United States mediated has not been made public, AFP was not able to verify its terms on aid.<\/p>\n

Both Hamas officials said group representatives raised the issue during a meeting with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

If all goes to plan on the hostage and prisoner releases on Thursday, a further three hostages are set to be released on Saturday.<\/p>\n

The agreement is intended to end more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas that erupted with the militant group\u2019s attack on Israel in 2023.<\/p>\n

The two sides are currently implementing the first 42-day phase of the agreement, which should see 33 hostages freed.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Hope \u2013<\/p>\n

Next, they are due to start discussing a long-term end to the war.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The third and final phase of the deal should see the reconstruction of Gaza as well as the return of the bodies of any remaining dead hostages.<\/p>\n

The families of people still held in Gaza were holding out hope the truce would hold, with hundreds of people attending a rally in Tel Aviv on Wednesday to show support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have to be optimistic. We have to keep on trying and not give up,\u201d 27-year-old Shakked Fainsod said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf their families keep on fighting, then I don\u2019t have the privilege to stay home and not keep fighting as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

US President Donald Trump repeatedly claimed credit for sealing the agreement after months of fruitless negotiations under his predecessor Joe Biden.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House on February 4, according to the premier\u2019s office.<\/p>\n

\u201cPrime Minister Netanyahu is the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House during US President Trump\u2019s second term,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n

After the truce took effect, Trump touted a plan to \u201cclean out\u201d the Gaza Strip, calling for Palestinians to relocate to neighbouring countries such as Egypt or Jordan.<\/p>\n

The idea has faced strong backlash from Egypt and Jordan as well as from European governments.<\/p>\n

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Wednesday that the forced displacement of Palestinians was an \u201cinjustice that we cannot take part in\u201d.<\/p>\n

Despite the devastation wrought by the war, more than 376,000 displaced Palestinians have returned to northern Gaza, according to the UN humanitarian office OCHA.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy to be back at my home,\u201d said Saif Al-Din Qazaat, who returned to northern Gaza but had to sleep in a tent next to the ruins of his house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept a fire burning all night near the kids to keep them warm\u2026 (They) slept peacefully despite the cold but we don\u2019t have enough blankets,\u201d the 41-year-old told AFP.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Rubble \u2013<\/p>\n

For many, the journey marked not just a return home but a confrontation with the harsh realities of the destruction wrought by the war.<\/p>\n

Mona Abu Aathra managed to travel from central Gaza to Gaza City, though she has yet to assess the full extent of the war\u2019s impact on her home.<\/p>\n

Her hometown, Beit Hanoun, was among the areas hardest hit by a months-long Israeli military operation which continued right up to this month\u2019s ceasefire.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe returned to Gaza City with nothing, and there\u2019s no drinking water. Most streets are still blocked by the rubble of destroyed homes,\u201d the 20-year-old told AFP.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An aid convoy destined for Gaza assembles in the southern outskirts of the Egyptian capital Cairo. – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA\/AFP\/File POOL Didier LAURAS Hamas officials accused Israel on Wednesday of delaying aid deliveries to Gaza and jeopardising a truce and hostage release deal, an allegation Israel dismissed as \u201cfake news.\u201d Since a ceasefire<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":828505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[319,45844],"tags":[5794,45843],"class_list":["post-828504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-accuses","category-hamas","tag-accuses","tag-hamas"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828504"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828504\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/828505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}