Hamas militants have launched a brazen assault on international humanitarian efforts in Gaza, hijacking UNICEF trucks carrying life-saving baby formula for malnourished children and opening fire on United Nations teams attempting to establish new aid corridors. The coordinated attacks, which occurred within days of each other, have deprived thousands of vulnerable children of critical nutrition while blocking efforts to expand humanitarian access to displaced populations in the war-torn territory.

On Thursday, Israel accused Hamas of hijacking four UNICEF aid trucks loaded with baby formula in Gaza City, describing it as a direct attack on humanitarian relief efforts. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) reported that the vehicles were intercepted just outside the UNICEF compound in Gaza City.

“The trucks were commandeered right outside the UNICEF compound in Gaza City, a direct assault on humanitarian work,” the Israeli agency stated. UNICEF confirmed the seizure, reporting that “armed individuals” stopped the trucks at gunpoint, diverted the cargo, and later released both the drivers and the vehicles.

The theft had immediate humanitarian consequences. UNICEF emphasized that the incident deprived thousands of vulnerable children of urgently needed nutrition, stating: “This theft has denied at least 2,700 severely and acutely malnourished children of life-saving RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food) — vital supplies at a time when famine has been declared in the north of Gaza and the ongoing military operation is creating further displacement and adding to the devastating impact on children.”

The theft had immediate humanitarian consequences. UNICEF emphasized that the incident deprived thousands of vulnerable children of urgently needed nutrition, stating: “This theft has denied at least 2,700 severely and acutely malnourished children of life-saving RUTF (Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food) — vital supplies at a time when famine has been declared in the north of Gaza and the ongoing military operation is creating further displacement and adding to the devastating impact on children.”

Another serious incident over the weekend followed the aid seizures. Hamas gunmen opened fire on United Nations teams working to establish a new humanitarian aid corridor in southern Gaza, according to COGAT reports.

The UN representatives reported that during work to open a new route for aid trucks from Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone” in the Strip’s south, “armed Hamas terrorists threatened and deliberately fired at a UN team operating at the site and forced them out of the work area.”

The militants escalated their interference by taking over UN vehicles and using them to place sand barriers on the route to prevent the future movement of aid trucks into the humanitarian area. This new route was part of humanitarian efforts amid ongoing military operations. It was scheduled to open to increase the flow of food, medical equipment, tents, and shelter supplies to the population.

COGAT chief Major General Ghassan Alian commented on the pattern: “Hamas proves time and again that it has no interest in the well-being of the residents of the Gaza Strip, but only in its terrorist motives. Even as the State of Israel works together with the UN and international organizations to expand the scope of humanitarian aid, Hamas is desperate to thwart this, thereby once again abandoning the residents it claims to represent and enslaving them to ensure its survival.”

Damage caused to a UN vehicle by Hamas gunmen in southern Gaza, in a handout image issued by COGAT on September 20, 2025. (COGAT)
The recent attacks are part of a broader, systematic pattern of Hamas control over international aid and institutions in Gaza and Lebanon, as documented in a comprehensive new report by the independent watchdog organization UN Watch.

The 220-page report, titled “Schools in the Grip of Terror: How UNRWA Allowed Hamas Chiefs to Control Its Education System,” documents how Hamas has systematically hijacked the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) education system.

According to the report’s findings, “Hamas has hijacked UNRWA’s education through its domination of the local UNRWA staff unions, particularly the teachers’ sectors of the unions, enabling Hamas to control UNRWA schools — the physical facilities, teachers, and curriculum.” This control extends to preventing the agency from implementing changes to de-radicalize the curriculum, blocking efforts to discipline staff for inciting antisemitism and terrorism, and placing Hamas operatives in senior educator positions.

The UN Watch report provides specific examples of Hamas’s institutional control. One notable case involved the expulsion of Matthias Schmale, a senior UNRWA international staff member who headed the agency’s Gaza operation in 2021. Schmale was forced out after making what was perceived as a pro-Israel remark in a media interview.

UN Watch alleged that “it took less than 10 days” for UNRWA’s Palestinian leader Amir Al-Mishal, then head of the UNRWA Gaza Staff Union, working with his predecessor Suhail Al-Hindi, to remove Schmale from his position.

Particularly concerning was UNRWA’s handling of Suhail Al-Hindi, who “publicly appeared with Hamas terrorist leaders for many years while working for UNRWA,” yet the agency refused to dismiss him despite his open associations with the designated terrorist organization.

Similarly, the report highlights the case of Fateh Sharif, who served simultaneously as head of the UNRWA Lebanon Teachers’ Union and as a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon, yet faced no disciplinary action from UNRWA.

The revelations about UNRWA’s compromise have prompted strong action from the U.S. government. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “The Administration has determined UNRWA is irredeemably compromised and now seeks its full dismantlement along with the return of remaining unspent funds.”

The spokesperson referenced President Trump’s February 4 Executive Order regarding ending funding for specific UN organizations, noting that “UNRWA has reportedly been infiltrated by members of groups long designated by the Secretary of State as foreign terrorist organizations, and UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.”

The U.S. government has completely stopped funding UNRWA due to its support for Hamas terrorists. As the State Department explained, “Other U.N. agencies and other more effective international partners are more than capable of stepping in to provide essential lines of support.”

COGAT has consistently reported that while Israel facilitates the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, Hamas repeatedly exploits these shipments for its own purposes. “While Israel allows the entry of vital baby food into Gaza, Hamas steals it to profit from the public,” the agency stated regarding the recent formula theft. “This formula was meant to be distributed for free by UNICEF. Once again, Hamas proves that it has no interest in the well-being of the people, only in its own terror motives.”

The scandal-plagued UNRWA has faced numerous corruption and terrorism scandals over the years, including evidence of direct participation in terrorist attacks. Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reported that Israel has proof that dozens of UNRWA employees participated in the October 7, 2023, massacre of more than 1,200 people in southern Israel.

Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, emphasized the broader implications: “For years governments have been writing billion-dollar checks to UNRWA believing they were investing in peace and tolerance. Our investigation reveals the shocking truth: UNRWA’s classrooms have been hijacked by Hamas and turned into incubators of hate. Donor states must confront the reality that they are financing terror by proxy.”

The ongoing incidents highlight the complex challenges facing international humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, where aid convoys remain vulnerable to seizure and disruption. UNICEF and other agencies continue to press for safe, uninterrupted access to deliver supplies to vulnerable populations, but the systematic interference by Hamas presents significant obstacles to effective humanitarian relief.

As President Trump and Secretary Rubio have stated, “Hamas will never govern Gaza again. That includes institutions they have infiltrated to sustain their power and influence.” The documentation of Hamas’s control over both immediate aid deliveries and long-term educational institutions underscores the depth of the challenge in ensuring humanitarian assistance reaches those who need it most while preventing the strengthening of terrorist infrastructure.