State Department says thousands of boxes of food have been delivered to Gaza

State Department press secretary Tammy Bruce on Tuesday told reporters that thousands of boxes of food have been delivered to Palestinians in Gaza recently, despite attempts by Hamas to disrupt the flow.

Bruce declined to confirm reports that civilians were shot at by Hamas, but confirmed that the terrorist organization still has access to weapons and has been opposed to the United States supplying aid to Palestinians still in Gaza.

The press secretary said approximately 8,000 boxes of food had been distributed, for a total of 462,000 meals, according to Reuters.

“Without confirming what might be gossip or single reports, the fact of the matter is Hamas has been opposed to this dynamic,” Bruce said. “They have attempted to stop the aid movement through Gaza to these distribution centers. They have failed, but they certainly tried.

"The real story is that aid is moving through, and in that kind of an environment, it’s not surprising that there might be a few issues involved," she continued. "The good news is that those seeking to get aid to the people of Gaza, which is not Hamas, have succeeded."

Hamas denied allegations that it has attempted to stop Palestinians from getting U.S. aid, stating that the "real cause" of the delay in getting aid to Palestinians was chaos caused by mismanagement. 

The group also said that it was Israeli forces that fired at the Palestinians trying to get assistance.