Rubio accuses Hamas of "looting Gaza aid" .. and Hamas responds: "fabricated claim"

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, accused Hamas of 'depriving the people of Gaza of the humanitarian aid they desperately need,' following a video released by the U.S. Central Command showing what it described as the 'looting' of an aid truck in the region.

Rubio emphasized in a post on the 'X' platform on Saturday evening that these thefts 'undermine international efforts supporting President Donald Trump's plan,' which consists of twenty points to provide vital assistance to civilians in Gaza.

He confirmed that 'Hamas is the obstacle' to implementing the plan, stressing the need for 'them to lay down their arms and stop the looting.'

In contrast, the 'Government Media Office' affiliated with Hamas in Gaza categorically denied these accusations. The office stated in a statement published yesterday, Saturday, that what appeared in the video is a 'fabricated claim aimed at tarnishing the image of the Palestinian police forces,' asserting that these forces are the ones who 'secure the aid convoys and accompany them until they reach the distribution warehouses.'

The U.S. Central Command had issued a statement clarifying that the 'Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC),' led by the United States, 'observed suspected Hamas elements looting an aid truck' north of Khan Younis.

The statement noted that the center received an alert via surveillance cameras from an MQ-9 drone that was flying to monitor the ceasefire implementation between Hamas and the occupying entity, adding that the elements 'attacked the driver and stole the aid,' indicating that 'the fate of the driver remains unknown.'

The Central Command also warned that this incident undermines the efforts of international partners, who delivered more than 600 aid trucks daily over the past week to the Palestinian sector.