The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) resumed its operations in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday after Hamas returned aid goods seized earlier from its warehouse.

However, the UNRWA said in a statement that it can not start food distributions in the war-torn Gaza because Israel closed its commercial crossings due to the elections in the Jewish state.

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip in December and January, killing over 1,300 Palestinians and destroying thousands of houses in an unprecedented military operation.

On Friday, the UNRWA accused Hamas of seizing tons of food aid and thousands of blankets, but the Islamic movement said it did not confiscate any products from the UN agency, blaming the problem on "misunderstanding" between UNRWA drivers and owners of a private transportation company that Hamas assigned to pick up the aid from Israeli crossings.

The UNRWA also blamed Israel of banning the delivery of plastic sheets through its crossing points. The sheets would be used as bags for the rations that the UNRWA distributed for some 700,000 refugees.

On Monday, UNRWA operations director John Ging expressed frustration over the withholding of 12 trucks laden with textbooks for a new human rights curriculum that the UNRWA will start teaching in its schools.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2009)