Hamas accused Israel yesterday of “delaying” the implementation of relief and reconstruction agreements for the Gaza Strip. The allegation was made by the movement’s spokesman Hazem Qassem.
“The Zionist occupation continues to stall implementation of the relief and reconstruction process outlined in the ceasefire agreement, and there are humanitarian aid commitments that it has not fully adhered to,” explained Qassem. “Despite the massive destruction of the healthcare sector, the occupation has not allowed any restoration efforts or the entry of essential medical supplies.”
The spokesman pointed out that fuel deliveries remain far below what was stipulated in the agreement, and the amount reaching northern Gaza is negligible. “The heavy machinery specified in the agreement has not been allowed in, preventing the retrieval of martyrs’ bodies and hindering the recovery of [hostage] bodies set to be exchanged, especially at the end of this phase.”
Hamas urged the mediators in Qatar and Egypt and the guarantors of the ceasefire agreement to compel the occupation state to allow the entry of the relief materials outlined in the agreement immediately. “In particular, tents, fuel, food supplies and heavy machinery are required, while also ensuring an end to all other violations and breaches.”
Earlier on Sunday, Salama Marouf, the head of the government media office in Gaza, declared the enclave to be a “humanitarian disaster zone devoid of all basic necessities for survival and human dignity.”
On Wednesday, the media office called on the mediators between the Palestinian factions and Israel to pressure the latter to allow the entry of tents and caravans to shelter more than a quarter of a million displaced families whose homes were destroyed during the genocide.
The Gaza Strip is suffering from a severe humanitarian crisis as a result of the genocidal war waged by Israel since 7 October, 2023. Hospitals and medical staff have been targeted, and the entry of medical equipment, supplies and medicines has been blocked, leading to the severe deterioration of the healthcare sector.
On 19 January, a ceasefire agreement and a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel came into effect. The agreement includes three stages, each lasting 42 days, during the first of which negotiations will begin for the second and third phases, mediated by Egypt and Qatar and supported by the US.
READ: Over 61,700 Palestinians killed in Israel’s genocidal war, local authorities say