Gaza’s Government Media Office rejected UN accusations over an aid distribution incident, saying police prevented smuggling and protected humanitarian assistance.
Key Developments
- Gaza rejected a UN statement accusing Palestinian police of disrupting aid distribution in Jabaliya.
- Officials said police intervened after discovering an attempt to smuggle commercial goods through humanitarian aid packages.
- The Government Media Office demanded a UN apology and urged the organization to focus on Israeli attacks against aid workers and relief infrastructure.
Gaza’s Government Media Office has rejected accusations by a senior United Nations official regarding an incident at a humanitarian aid distribution center in northern Gaza, insisting that Palestinian police acted to protect relief supplies and prevent smuggling rather than obstruct humanitarian operations.
In a statement issued on Monday, the office described remarks by the UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, as containing “false allegations” and “a distortion of the facts” surrounding events at a World Food Programme (WFP) distribution center in the Abu Rashid area of Jabaliya refugee camp.
According to the Government Media Office, the incident was not an assault on the aid center or an attempt to interfere with humanitarian work, but a law-enforcement operation carried out after authorities discovered commercial goods concealed inside humanitarian aid packages.
Israeli companies make millions of dollars from trade in Gaza and much of the occupied West Bank by monopolising their supply chains.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reports. pic.twitter.com/QIyk52h3Rl
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) July 12, 2026
‘Official Law-Enforcement Mission’
Officials said Palestinian police entered the distribution center after workers reported the presence of smuggled items within relief consignments.
The operation, they said, resulted in the seizure of commercial goods, including cigarette cartons and mobile phone screens, which had been inserted into humanitarian shipments intended for Gaza’s civilian population.
The Government Media Office said the seized items were documented in accordance with legal procedures.
During the operation, a crowd gathered outside the center, allowing several individuals to steal some of the confiscated cigarette cartons before security forces regained control of the area.
Authorities said those responsible are being pursued and will be referred to the appropriate legal bodies.
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‘Protecting Humanitarian Assistance’
The statement argued that the police deployment was consistent with repeated international requests for Palestinian authorities to help secure humanitarian convoys and aid distribution centers.
Rather than obstructing relief efforts, officials said, the operation sought to prevent humanitarian assistance from being exploited for illegal commercial activities unrelated to the needs of Gaza’s population.
The Government Media Office questioned whether the UN official had been aware of the alleged smuggling operation before issuing his statement, arguing that Palestinian security forces should have been commended for protecting aid supplies instead of being accused of interfering with humanitarian work.
هذا المشهد ليس مشهداً من أول أيام الحرب على غزة، هذا المشهد تم تصويره قبل قليل، الحرب لم تتوقف، ولكن الذي توقف هو اهتمامكم !! pic.twitter.com/lYR73UqAmA
— جهاد حلس، غزة (@Jhkhelles) July 12, 2026
Call for UN Retraction
The office also criticized what it described as a double standard in the UN’s response to developments in Gaza.
It said the organization’s criticism of an internal policing operation stood in sharp contrast to what it characterized as its relative silence regarding Israeli attacks on humanitarian workers, UN personnel, UNRWA facilities, aid warehouses and relief convoys.
The statement described that disparity as both a moral and professional failure.
Reaffirming its commitment to protecting humanitarian operations, the Government Media Office said Palestinian authorities would continue safeguarding aid convoys and relief workers throughout the Gaza Strip.
It called on the United Nations to withdraw its statement, issue a public apology to Gaza’s governmental institutions, and direct its condemnation toward Israel, which it said bears responsibility for attacks on civilians, humanitarian personnel and relief infrastructure, as well as for maintaining the siege on the Gaza Strip.
(Quds News Network)
UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Ramiz Alakbarov, another mouth piece of “Israel”.