Red Cross: We work independently and do not deal with any armed group in Gaza.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) denied on Saturday any coordination with any armed group, political entity, or military entity regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, responding to allegations made by an Israeli-backed "armed gang" in this regard.

The committee said in a statement that it was "aware of a circulating announcement indicating alleged coordination between it and an armed group to deliver humanitarian aid to the northern Gaza Strip."

But she stressed that "it has no connection to any such cooperation with any armed, political or military entity."

The Red Cross Committee affirmed that it works "independently, neutrally and impartially."

She called on all parties and actors to refrain from distorting its image in this context.

The committee warned civilians against "being led astray by this false information."

It also expressed its absolute rejection of "any misuse of its name, as this would have a negative impact on its humanitarian activities and directly harm the lives of civilians."

Earlier on Saturday, an armed group called the Popular Forces, which Israel has acknowledged supporting, said it was considering bringing humanitarian aid into the northern Gaza Strip "in coordination with the Red Cross and the Israeli military and under their protection."

A post on a Facebook account attributed to the gang's leader, Yasser Abu Shabab, whose authenticity was not verified by Anadolu Agency, read: "To our people in the beloved northern Gaza Strip, the entry of aid through the Kerem Shalom crossing is currently being considered, under the protection of the Popular Armed Forces, in agreement with the Red Cross, and in coordination with the Israeli army."

He added that this is "the first time that aid will be brought into the northern Gaza Strip under the protection of these forces," he said.

In the same vein, the Hebrew newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a report on Friday describing the Popular Forces gang as a "local militia that engages in smuggling and extortion and is unconcerned with the Palestinian cause," according to an unnamed Israeli official quoted in the report.

She added that its leader, Abu Shabab, a 32-year-old Bedouin from Rafah, "rose to notoriety after being accused of looting UN trucks last year and reselling humanitarian aid," accusations he has denied.

On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged for the first time that his government provides weapons to the group, justifying this by using them against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas asserted that "these gangs, which have made a profession of treason and theft, operate under direct Zionist security supervision," asserting that they are "cheap tools in the hands of the enemy and a true enemy of our Palestinian people."

She stated that "these gangs will be pursued and held accountable firmly by our people's forces and the relevant authorities."

On more than one occasion, the government media office in Gaza has confirmed that "armed gangs" backed by Israel are plundering the scarce humanitarian aid entering Gaza amid a stifling Israeli blockade.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and displacement, ignoring international appeals and orders to halt it issued by the International Court of Justice.

The genocide left more than 180,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and famine claimed the lives of many, including children.

Before the genocide, Israel had besieged Gaza for 18 years. Today, approximately 1.5 million Palestinians out of a population of 2.4 million are homeless after their homes were destroyed by the war.