(NewsNation) — Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, doubled down on his country’s position the United Nations is blocking the distribution of aid into Gaza to help starving Palestinians.
Amid the humanitarian crisis, Leiter told “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” the U.N. has “blood on its hands” and will not allow aid into Gaza without collaboration with Hamas.
“Israel is doing everything it possibly can. The problem is our efforts are being blocked by the United Nations,” Leiter said.
The U.N. has denied this. More than 100 charity and human rights groups have warned of mass starvation, and they say Israel is causing the blockade, The Associated Press reports.
“The U.N. is responsible for any hunger that exists right now in Gaza,” Leiter said. “We are sitting on hundreds and perhaps thousands of trucks already ready to enter into Gaza.
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“If we continue to turn over food to Hamas, which the U.N. is doing, it means that we prolong the war. It means that Hamas becomes strengthened. It means that they can hire more terrorists. It means they continue to control the civilian population. It means that they control Gaza.”
Leiter said Israel wants to “flood Gaza with humanitarian aid” but not through Hamas.
“If MS-13 took over a neighborhood in the United States and you had to fight MS-13 from their domination of a neighborhood, would you feed them?” Leiter asked.
Leiter also said 90% of aid is hijacked by the terrorist group. However, an internal U.S. government analysis found “no evidence of systematic theft” of aid by Hamas, according to Reuters.
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“Read my lips, they’re lying, and they have the responsibility for the people, because right now, as we’re sitting and talking now, they can move those trucks in through the Gaza humanitarian foundation that they refuse to do,” Leiter said.
The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 79 Palestinians were killed trying to get aid entering Gaza this week.
NewsNation asked Leiter about the deaths, and he denied that the Israeli military was responsible despite it admitting soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza.
The military said they posed a threat and acknowledged there were casualties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
