Gaza government denies 'entirely false' US allegation that Hamas looted aid truck

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Gaza Government Media Office on Sunday denied an “entirely false” claim by US Central Command (CENTCOM) that alleged Hamas looted a humanitarian aid truck.

"We affirm that this accusation is entirely false and fabricated from its inception, and forms part of a deliberate media disinformation campaign aimed at smearing the Palestinian police forces, which are performing their national and humanitarian duty to secure aid and protect relief convoys," according to a statement by Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Government Media Office.

It noted that international organizations have confirmed police forces were not involved in any thefts and, in fact, played a key role in preventing looting.

"The U.S. Central Command’s allegation itself contains fundamental contradictions that prove its falsehood. The command states that it 'observed suspected members of Hamas,' then presents the accusation as an established fact without any material evidence or field reference," the statement said about the accusation that was made on X , with an accompanying video.

Underlining that the date, time and exact location of the incident was not specified, Al-Thawabta described the video as an "an obvious attempt to pass misleading information to the public."

"The allegation that 'security forces stole an ambulance and a truck' is a blatant fabrication unsupported by any recording or evidence; the alleged video did not show any scene proving that claim, which confirms that the accusation is based on an invented and deliberate narrative," it added.

The statement refuted CENTCOM's claim that “nearly 40 countries and international organizations are operating in Gaza," stressing that the actual number of organizations actively providing humanitarian relief does not exceed 22, "most of which suffer from obstruction and restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation."

It pointed to CENTCOM's silence regarding the daily crimes and assaults committed by the Israeli occupation since a ceasefire agreement took effect Oct. 10.

"The U.S. Central Command’s silence regarding these daily crimes, while it devotes itself to promulgating dubious narratives against the Palestinian police forces, demonstrates its complete bias in favor of the Israeli occupation and its loss of credibility as an entity that should be neutral and observational," the statement underscored.

It urged mediators and guarantor states of the ceasefire to "urgently intervene to put an end to these deceptive practices, and to compel the Israeli occupation to respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement and to fully implement its obligations."