Hamas condemns 'Israeli' attack on aid distribution point in Gaza as ‘massacre’

Hamas has issued a strong statement denouncing the recent attack by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on starving civilians gathered at an aid distribution point near the Zikim area, north of the Gaza Strip.

The assault, which left more than 60 people dead and dozens injured, was described by Hamas as a deliberate act of genocidal violence.

The group accused the IOF of using aid and starvation as a tactic to trap, kill, and brutalize innocent civilians. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip is a major crime in which killing, starvation, and thirst are being used as tools of ethnic cleansing and genocide,” Hamas said.

Highlighting the severe humanitarian crisis, Hamas condemned the ongoing blockade and the policy of starvation imposed on Gaza for over 140 days. The statement questioned the international community’s silence in the face of over seventy children dying from malnutrition and the majority of Gaza’s population facing mass death due to the blockade.

Hamas further criticized the fact that thousands of tons of humanitarian aid remain stuck behind the Rafah crossing, while Palestinians suffer from hunger, thirst, and disease. The group held both the Israeli Occupation and the United States government responsible for these crimes and called for an urgent international investigation into the aid distribution mechanism, which it described as a “systematic killing tool” targeting civilians.

The statement concluded with a call to the United Nations and all humanitarian organizations to take immediate action to halt the humanitarian disaster. Hamas demanded the immediate opening of the Rafah crossing to allow the entry of aid without 'Israeli' control.

In addition, Hamas urged Arab and Islamic countries to fulfill their religious, national, and humanitarian duties by acting swiftly to break the siege on Gaza and to support the Palestinian people steadfast in their land.