UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon on Friday demanded that Hamas immediately release the UN humanitarian aid supplies it seized in Gaza.

"The secretary-general demands that the Hamas immediately release the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) consignment of humanitarian goods it seized last night, in the second such incident this week, " said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson.

The secretary-general also called upon Hamas "to refrain from interference with the provision and distribution of humanitarian assistance in Gaza," the statement said.

UNRWA has suspended the import of humanitarian goods into Gaza until the aid is returned and guarantees of no future such occurrences are provided, the statement said.

"All parties must refrain from interfering with, or hampering the provision and distribution of, urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the civilian population in Gaza," the statement said.

However, Hamas said earlier on Friday that it seized the humanitarian goods "by mistake" and would return the supplies after UNRWA is determined to suspend importing humanitarian relief goods into the Gaza Strip, reports said.

"The secretary-general reiterates the Security Council's call, in its resolution 1860, for the unimpeded provision and distribution throughout Gaza of humanitarian assistance, including food, fuel and medical treatment," the statement said.

UNRWA, the main UN relief agency responsible for feeding 900, 000 Palestinian refugees in Gaza, on Friday suspended all imports of desperately needed aid after trucks linked to a Hamas ministry confiscated hundreds of tons of food, the second such seizure in three days.

"UNRWA's suspension of imports will remain in effect until the aid is returned and the Agency is given credible assurances from the Hamas government in Gaza that there will be no repeat of these thefts," said the UNRWA, which has been struggling to help Gaza residents after a devastating three-week Israeli military offensive.

The seizures followed repeated UNRWA warnings that not nearly enough food and other vital supplies were getting through because of Israel's closure of most crossing points into Gaza. Just hours before the latest seizure, UNRWA Director of Operations in Gaza John Ging had warned that the Agency would suspend operations if there was a repeat.

Although the amount stolen in the first seizure was small, "it's massive in its significance because they've crossed a red line," Ging said.

On Wednesday night, 10 truckloads of flour and rice were taken from the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom Crossing into Gaza, UNRWA said in a statement.

"They had been imported from Egypt for collection by UNRWA today," it added. "The food was taken away by trucks contracted by the Ministry of Social Affairs. Two hundred metric tons of rice and 100 metric tons of flour were taken."

On Tuesday, 3,500 blankets and over 400 food parcels were taken at gunpoint from a distribution store in Beach Camp in Gaza. Hamas said it would give out the aid itself and Ging on Wednesday told Hamas to "stop the nonsense that they've been coming out with trying to justify what they did and accept that it was an egregious error."

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2009)