Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Deepens as WFP Reports Warehouse Looting

Overwhelmed by desperation, thousands in Gaza have broken into a UN warehouse for food supplies, leading to casualties as humanitarian needs escalate amidst ongoing conflict.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has reported a tragic escalation in humanitarian crises in Gaza, stating that “hordes of hungry people” have forced their way into a food supply warehouse in central Gaza. The incident at the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah resulted in two fatalities and multiple injuries, a situation that underscores the current hunger crisis exacerbated by the Israeli blockade which has lasted nearly three months.

Video footage captured the chaos as thousands surged into the warehouse to seize sacks of flour and cartons of food while gunshots were heard in the vicinity. The origins of these shots remain unclear. The WFP urgently calls for increased food assistance, emphasizing that only a rapid scale-up can assure the populace they will not face starvation.

The organization has continuously raised warnings regarding the deteriorating living conditions in Gaza and the alarming consequences of restricted humanitarian aid for the locals who are increasingly desperate for assistance. In recent developments, Israeli authorities reported that 121 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, including flour, entered Gaza. However, UN Middle East envoy Sigrid Kaag described this flow of aid as a mere “lifeboat after the ship has sunk,” indicating the dire food security situation affecting the population.

Compounding the crisis, a US and Israeli-supported private aid distribution group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has been established to bypass traditional UN channels. Critics argue that it is an unethical operation, aimed at preventing aid from being seized by Hamas, a claim Hamas has denied. Meanwhile, the GHF has seen hungry individuals flock to its distribution centers for food amid the ongoing chaos.

Recent reports indicate that desperation has led to riots, with 47 people injured at one GHF location after crowds overran the distribution efforts. Furthermore, UN officials have reported instances of cargo being looted from humanitarian aid trucks, with a high-ranking UN humanitarian officer asserting that the actual diversion of aid is facilitated by criminal gangs, enabled by the Israeli military's proximity to crucial crossing points.

In response, UN leaders advocate for bolstered aid equal to the influx noted during the recent ceasefire, suggesting that such measures would mitigate the looting risks and enable comprehensive use of existing distribution networks across Gaza. Conversely, Israel's UN ambassador accused the UN of operating in a “mafia-like” manner, undermining agencies working alongside the GHF. The UN has condemned Israel's aid strategy as one of “engineered scarcity,” criticizing its limited operational reach in the region when the majority of the population resides elsewhere.