RAMALLAH March 13 (JMCC) - The United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes said Friday that an ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip has not succeeded in preventing the flow of weapons or lowering the stature of Gaza's Hamas-led government.

“The blockade of Gaza does not serve any purpose in my view in security terms for Israel because anything can come in through those tunnels at the moment, nor is it weakening the hold of Hamas on Gaza,” he said. “That’s perfectly clear when you’re there.”

The United Nations under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief also warned of an impending humanitarian disaster if Egypt succeeds in blocking the tunnels that pass under its border into the Gaza Strip.

“If those tunnels were blocked, however undesirable they may be, and however undesirable the effect they’re having on the Gazan society and Gazan economy, the situation without the tunnels would be completely unsustainable,” said Holmes, who visited the region for four days earlier this month.

Read the full story from the Associated Press...