UN accuses Israel of weaponizing aid despite truce

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees and international humanitarian organizations have accused Israel of further politicizing and weaponizing lifesaving aid despite a ceasefire being in place.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees wrote on X on Sunday that its international staff members and humanitarian aid "continue to be denied entry into Gaza".

Caroline Willemen, Gaza project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, noted that while Israeli attacks on the enclave have significantly decreased since the ceasefire, firing and strikes continue almost daily, the Palestinian WAFA News Agency reported.

Willemen said humanitarian aid should not be tied to any political conditions. "Residents of Gaza have lived under the threat of mass extermination for two years," Willemen was quoted as saying by the agency.

In a statement on Friday, Oxfam International alleged that since the ceasefire began, Israeli authorities have continued to arbitrarily reject shipments of lifesaving assistance into Gaza, while a restrictive new registration process for international NGOs further delays urgent humanitarian work.

On Thursday, Oxfam joined 40 organizations — including the Norwegian Refugee Council — operating on the ground in Gaza in calling on the Israeli government "to uphold its commitments under the ceasefire agreement and international law and let humanitarian aid flow freely". The statements and continued push follow the International Court of Justice publishing a legally nonbinding advisory opinion on Wednesday that obligated Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The court urged Israel to ensure that the population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory has the essential supplies of daily life.

During his visit to Israel on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the UNRWA will not be permitted to help deliver aid to Gaza because it is a "subsidiary" of what he called a terror group, referring to the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Rubio also stressed that Hamas cannot be involved in governing Gaza in the future.

Search for hostages

Meanwhile, AFP footage showed an Egyptian convoy in Gaza bringing rescuers and heavy machinery to speed up the search for the remains of deceased Israeli hostages that Hamas says are lost in the rubble of the devastated territory.

Low-loader trucks transported bulldozers and mechanical diggers into Gaza, accompanied by tipper trucks sounding their horns and flashing their lights, en route to an Egyptian aid committee.

Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had personally approved the arrival of the Egyptian team.

"Now, this is a technical team only," she said.

"The team is allowed entry beyond the IDF's (Israel Defense Forces') Yellow Line position into Gaza territory to conduct the search for our hostages."

Agencies contributed to this story.