Almost 100 Gaza food aid lorries violently looted, UN agency says

A convoy of 109 UN assistance lorries carrying nutrient was violently looted successful Gaza connected Saturday, the UN bureau for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) says.

Ninety-seven of the lorries were mislaid and their drivers were forced astatine gunpoint to unload their assistance aft passing done the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing with confederate Gaza, successful what is believed to person been 1 of the worst incidents of its kind.

Eyewitnesses said the convoy was attacked by masked men who threw grenades.

Unrwa commissioner wide Philippe Lazzarini did not place the perpetrators, but helium said the “total breakdown of civilian order” successful Gaza meant it had “become an intolerable situation to run in”.

Without contiguous intervention, terrible nutrient shortages are acceptable to worsen for the 2 cardinal radical depending connected humanitarian assistance to survive, according to Unrwa.

A UN-backed appraisal warned earlier this period that there was “strong likelihood that famine is imminent successful areas wrong the bluish Gaza Strip”.

It came aft Israeli forces launched a large crushed violative successful the northbound and the UN said less assistance lorries had entered Gaza past period than astatine immoderate clip since the commencement of the warfare betwixt Israel and Hamas successful October 2023.

Saturday’s looting was archetypal reported by Reuters quality agency, which cited an Unrwa authoritative successful Gaza arsenic saying that the convoy was instructed by Israeli authorities to "depart astatine abbreviated announcement via an unfamiliar route" from Kerem Shalom.

Lazzarini said helium could not remark connected the way erstwhile asked astatine a quality league successful Geneva connected Monday, but helium confirmed the looting and said: “We person been informing a agelong clip agone astir the full breakdown of civilian order.”

“Until 4 oregon 5 months ago, we inactive had section capacity, radical who were escorting the convoy. This has wholly gone, which means we are successful an situation wherever section gangs, section families, are struggling among each different to instrumentality power of immoderate concern oregon immoderate activities taking spot successful the south. It has go an intolerable situation to run in.”

He added that hundreds of radical hopeless for nutrient had tried to tempest the Unrwa-run vocational centre successful the confederate metropolis of Khan Younis due to the fact that they thought the assistance had been delivered there.

“But the convoys were looted and determination was perfectly thing to instrumentality from the warehouses.”

Unrwa enactment retired a abstracted connection connected X that accused Israeli authorities of continuing to “disregard their ineligible obligations nether planetary instrumentality to guarantee the population's basal needs are met and to facilitate the harmless transportation of aid”.

“Such responsibilities proceed erstwhile trucks participate the Gaza Strip, until radical are reached with indispensable assistance.”

There was nary contiguous remark from the Israeli military.

Earlier, the Israeli subject assemblage liable for humanitarian affairs successful the Gaza Strip, Cogat, said connected X: “With the challenges the UN assistance organisations acquisition successful distributing aid, we are moving unneurotic connected assorted measures that volition facilitate the transportation of assistance from the Kerem Shalom crossing to Gazans successful need.”

“For months now, assistance has been piling up connected the Gazan side, aft Israeli inspection, waiting for postulation and distribution, and we've been taking galore measures to assistance with the pick-up of aid,” it added.

Israel has antecedently insisted determination are nary limits to the magnitude of assistance that tin beryllium delivered into and crossed Gaza, and accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the radical has denied.

Last week, a radical of 29 non-governmental organisations said successful a study that the looting of assistance convoys was “a effect of Israel's targeting of the remaining constabulary forces successful Gaza, scarcity of indispensable goods, deficiency of routes and closure of astir crossing points, and the consequent desperation of the colonisation amid these dire conditions”.

They cited media reports arsenic saying that “many incidents are taking spot adjacent by oregon successful afloat presumption of Israeli forces, without them intervening, adjacent erstwhile motortruck drivers asked for assistance”.

Also connected Monday, Palestinian authorities said Israeli strikes had killed much than 30 radical crossed Gaza.

At slightest 17 were reportedly killed erstwhile a location was deed adjacent Kamal Adwan infirmary successful the Beit Lahia Project, successful bluish Gaza.

The manager of Gaza's wellness ministry cited Kamal Adwan’s director, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, arsenic saying that the dormant were members of the household of 1 of the hospital’s medics, Dr Hani Badran. A video purportedly showed Dr Badran being comforted connected a ward.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence bureau meantime said its archetypal responders had recovered the bodies of 7 radical from a location that was struck successful the north-west of Gaza City.

Another 4 people, including 2 children, were killed successful an Israeli onslaught connected a structure wrong the Israeli-designated al-Mawasi humanitarian area, successful confederate Gaza, it added.

Israel launched a run to destruct Hamas successful effect to the group's unprecedented onslaught connected confederate Israel connected 7 October 2023, successful which astir 1,200 radical were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

More than 43,920 radical person been killed successful Gaza since then, according to the territory's wellness ministry.