Hamas ‘steal aid’ as Israel prepares for forthcoming elections

Wednesday, February 4. The UN has accused Hamas police officers of stealing blankets and food parcels that were meant to be distributed to Gazan civilians. A spokesman for the international organisation has revealed that Hamas confiscated aid for the first time when it raided a UN warehouse on Tuesday, stealing about 3,500 blankets and 400 food parcels. Hamas has denied any wrongdoing but claimed that the UN has been distributing aid to local groups opposed to the Islamist governing body.

Elsewhere on the aid front, the Palestinian Authority has pledged $600m for the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip. Most of the money is to be sourced from private donors though the PA itself has said it will donate $50m. The earliest estimates indicated that Gaza would need approximately $6bn to rebuild over three to five years.

Meanwhile, the candidates in next week's Israeli elections are arguing about whether or not the Gaza offensive, which killed almost 1,500 Palestinians, went far enough. According to a report in the Guardian, "Promises of negotiations towards a peace deal now pale in popularity compared with combative talk about defending Israel and its Jewish character."

The right–wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu is widely expected to win the forthcoming election against Tzipi Livni, the new leader of the centrist Kadima party which ordered the incursion into Gaza. "The real reason many Israelis will vote for the right in 2009 is their deep disappointment with the centre," says the Guardian.

LAST UPDATED 5:45 PM, FEBRUARY 4, 2009