A devastating incident occurred in southern Gaza on Saturday, where nearly 100 aid trucks were “violently looted”, with 97 out of 109 trucks carrying food supplies for UNRWA and the World Food Programme being “lost” in the looting.
This has been described by UNRWA as “one of the worst” incidents of its kind.
The drivers were forced to unload the trucks at gunpoint, aid workers were injured, and vehicles were extensively damaged.
The perpetrators of the looting remain unidentified, but UNRWA blames the “collapse of law and order” and the “approach of the Israeli authorities” for creating a perilous environment.
A joint 109-truck @UN convoy carrying food supplies to people in #Gaza was violently looted on 16 November. The vast majority of the trucks, 97 in total, were lost and drivers were forced at gunpoint to unload aid.
Due to critical shortages of flour, all eight UN-supported… pic.twitter.com/59RHJKWLAU
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) November 18, 2024
“Well, we have been warning for a long time about the total breakdown of civil order; (until) four or five months ago, we still had local capacity, people who were escorting the convoys. This has completely gone,” Lazzarini told a press conference in Geneva on Monday.
This incident comes amid warnings from the UN that severe food and aid shortages in Gaza will worsen without immediate intervention. Civilians fleeing northern Gaza report chronic food scarcity and hunger-related deaths, with aid agencies warning of an impending famine.
According to NYT, Louise Wateridge, an UNRWA spokeswoman currently in Gaza, said that, “People at the moment are absolutely desperate for anything. We’re back at a stage where we’re seeing people literally fighting over a bag of flour.”
Israel’s parliament recently voted to ban UNRWA, restricting its operations in territories Israel occupies, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel claims UNRWA has ties to Hamas and promotes hate against Israel, allegations UNRWA denies.
UNRWA is not allowed to use their own trucks and drivers and have to resort to Israel authorities to provide the vehicles and the aid workers are not even allowed to have armed guards. Wateridge said, “It looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. They try and armour the vehicles as best as possible and protect themselves. And they drive very, very fast and just try and try and not stop and just keep going. That’s the only protection they have.”
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza continue to take a heavy toll on civilians. On Monday, airstrikes killed at least 50 people, including 17 members of a single family. The local health ministry reported that the victims included children and a weeks-old newborn.
The director of the Kamal Adwan hospital, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, described the scene as “very violent targeting, with shells from tanks.” Patients are filled with fear and horror, pleading for the world to stop the killing machine and bombing.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with the risk of famine persisting. The World Food Programme warns that one million people are at risk of starvation.
