US: Gaza aid looting impossible to solve without ‘new governance and security authority’

WASHINGTON — US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says looting of humanitarian aid convoys in Gaza cannot be fully addressed until a new Palestinian-led governing and security force replaces Hamas in the Strip.

While the US and the international community have pushed for the Palestinian Authority to play this role, the idea has been rejected outright by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has often likened the PA to Hamas.

Netanyahu said earlier this week that he has directed the IDF to come up with new solutions to ensure the safe distribution of aid, though Israeli officials have told The Times of Israel over the past year that the security establishment also feels that the PA is the only viable alternative to continued Hamas rule in Gaza.

At a press briefing, Miller criticizes the repeated looting of aid convoys, saying those behind the actions are siphoning assistance away from civilians who desperately need it.

The US is working with Israel to try and find interim solutions to address the looting that has intensified as the IDF has gradually depleted Hamas’s military presence in Gaza, including the terror group’s ability to maintain internal security, says the State Department spokesperson.

At the request of the US, Israel opened new routes for delivering aid within Gaza aimed at avoiding roads targeted by looters. However, a subsequent case of looting reportedly ended up taking place on one of these new routes.

The US has been careful not to say that Hamas is directly behind the aid looting, while Israel has repeatedly insisted that the terror group siphons off much of the aid coming in.

“Ultimately, you are not going to finally solve this problem without an end to the war and the establishment of a new governance and security authority inside Gaza,” Miller says, adding that the US also strongly opposes having Israel become the occupying power in Gaza.