UN delivers 'negative message' from Israel on aid to Hamas
Hamas' Gaza officer Yahya Sinwar makes a statement to the press after meeting with the United Nations special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Tor Wennesland, in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, June 21, 2021. (AA Photo)


A United Nations intermediary delivered bad news from Israel to Hamas Monday in which the occupiers allegedly said they lack the will to end the humanitarian crisis, a Palestinian diplomat from the Gaza Strip said.

The crowded Mediterranean territory, home to around 2 million Palestinians under an Israeli blockade since 2007, was ravaged by 11 days of conflict.

U.N. Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland arrived in Gaza on Monday for talks with Hamas leaders, one month on since a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel came into force.

But a source in Hamas, who asked not to be identified, said the U.N. envoy had also delivered a "negative message" from Israel to Hamas, without giving further details.

"The meeting was bad, it was not at all positive," the head of Hamas' political wing, Yahya Sinwar told reporters.

"They listened to us attentively, but there are no signs that there are intentions towards solving the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," Sinwar added.

The U.N. declined to comment.

Sinwar said leaders in Gaza would meet in "the coming hours" to decide their next step.

Israel said it would permit the "limited export" of farm produce from the Gaza Strip to begin Monday, as well as trucks carrying clothes and fabrics to leave.

But Sinwar said it did nothing to change the situation in Gaza, saying Israel continued to block international aid, as well as critical fuel deliveries needed for the electricity plant, and restrict movement including fishermen in the Mediterranean.

"It is clear that the occupation (Israel) continues to practice its policies against us and our people in the Gaza Strip," Sinwar said.

Protesters wave Palestinian flags as they stand atop the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike last month, during a protest against a march by Jewish ultranationalists through East Jerusalem, in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip, Palestine, June 15, 2021. (AP Photo)
A Scout marching band passes a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, during a protest against a march by Jewish ultranationalists through East Jerusalem, along the streets of Gaza City, Palestine, June 15, 2021. (AP Photo)

"We told the representatives of the United Nations that we will not accept this matter."

The cease-fire went into effect May 21, ending the bloodiest fighting between Israel and Hamas since 2014.

The conflict killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities.

In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by rockets fired from Gaza, the police and army said.

Last week, cease-fire violations included Palestinian militants setting off incendiary balloons to spark fires in farmland – and Israel responded by launching two rounds of air raids on Gaza.