Roundup: World aid services in Gaza may decline as Israel arrests 2 aid workers

Israel has announced the arrest of two Gazans working for international organizations. Palestinian analysts warned that it may influence the humanitarian services in the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave.

According to Israeli media, Israeli security released a report on Tuesday that Wahid al-Bursh, a 38-year-old citizen from Gaza, who works for the United Nations Developing Program (UNDP), was arrested on July 3 at the Israeli-controlled crossing point of Erez on the borders between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Working for the UNDP since 2003, al-Bursh was accused of being a member in the Islamic Hamas movement, and serving Hamas at his position in the UN organization.

According to Israeli media, al-Bursh was accused of carrying out several missions for Hamas, like transferring the UNDP materials to build a small sea dock for Hamas on the beach of northern Gaza Strip.

The charges included al-Bursh removing the debris of four destroyed houses belonging to Hamas members in Gaza during the 2014 conflict.

He was also charged of reporting to Hamas about finding weapons and tunnels underneath the houses instead of reporting to the organization he worked for.

The security report said al-Bursh has confessed to the charges after he was questioned by the Israeli security services.

However, the UNDP said in an official statement Tuesday night that the organization has strict measures of removing the rubble of the destroyed houses in the Gaza Strip, stressing that the rubble were collected, smashed and reused according to the organization's plans.

"Al-Bursh has to be offered all the legal measures and has to be taken to a fair court," said the UNDP statement, adding that "the UNDP takes all the Israeli charges against al-Bursh into consideration."

The arrest of al-Bursh came several days after Israel announced that Palestinian citizen Mohamed el-Halabi, director of the World Vision in the Gaza Strip, had been arrested and was charged of providing financial aid to Hamas.

The Israeli charges against el-Halabi were published last week, two months after he had been arrested. Both Islamic Hamas movement and his family denied the charges.

Father of el-Halabi told Xinhua that his son has been working with the organization for 13 years, and he doesn't belong to any Palestinian organizations.

"My son was arrested on June 15 when he came back to Gaza from the West Bank through Erez Crossing, where he joined a three-day workshop at the World Vision office in the West Bank," said the father.

Meanwhile, the Hamas movement, which has been ruling Gaza for the past nine years, denied the charges, saying "the alleged Israeli accusations related to leaking money from the UNDP and the World Vision to Hamas movement are false."

Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, said in an emailed press statement that "these alleged accusations are made as part of an Israeli plan to tighten the siege and suffocate the Gaza Strip by chasing the international aid organizations that are serving in the Gaza Strip. The aim is to restrict their humanitarian activities."

Palestinian analysts expressed deep concerns over the arrest of two local aid workers, warning it would have negative impacts on the humanitarian aid activities of these organizations in Gaza.

Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Government Organizations (PNGO) in Gaza warned of reducing the aid services "due to the Israeli incitement campaign against the local workers of these organizations."

"The Israeli measures would bring dangerous and negative consequences to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip," said Shawa, adding "we forecast more Israeli tight measures on the free movement of other local aid workers."

Adnan Abu Aamer, political science professor specialized in Israeli affairs, told Xinhua that "as long as we don't have accurate information from the imprisoned workers or from their attorneys, I could say that it could be a new Israeli policy that aims at practicing more pressure on Gaza and tightening the siege," said Abu Aamer.

He stressed that Israel wanted to show the world that Hamas is a terrorist organization and is using the international aid organizations to gain money.

Israel has been imposing a tight siege on Gaza since Hamas violently took over the control of the coastal enclave in 2007. Due to the blockade, 1.9 million Gaza people have been suffering from high rates of poverty and unemployment. Endit