Center for a New American Security

Again, as I said two weeks ago, the key competition to watch in the aftermath of the Gaza War would be the fight for who gets to deliver essential services to the population of Gaza. Hamas, I argued, would fervently resist any competitors in the race to aid the people of Gaza, because the degree to which they would be seen as the victors depended on the degree to which they can now deliver social services in the aftermath of this conflict. If someone else delivers the aid, a wedge could potentially be driven between the population and Hamas. Hamas knows that. Thus...

Hamas police in Gaza broke into a warehouse full of United Nations humanitarian supplies and seized thousands of blankets and food packages, a United Nations spokesman said Wednesday, a rare public clash between the international agency that feeds much of the territory and the militant group that rules it.

The incident highlighted difficulties facing donors seeking to bypass Hamas while helping Gazans survive and rebuild after Israel's three-week military offensive.

"Hamas policemen stormed into an aid warehouse in Gaza City Tuesday evening and confiscated 3,500 blankets and over 400 food parcels ready for distribution to 500 families," said United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesman Christopher Gunness. "They were armed, they seized this, they took it by force," Gunness said, terming the incident absolutely unacceptable.

Now this presents an information operations opportunity for Israel and, potentially, Fatah. Will either be smart enough to exploit it?

Who am I kidding? Probably not...