Organized Crime Compounds Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

The humanitarian crisis escalates in Gaza as organized looting hampers aid delivery, leaving the population vulnerable.

Desperate circumstances in southern Gaza have led to a surge in organized looting, driven by armed gangs that have capitalized on the power vacuum following Israel's military actions against Hamas. Hazem Isleem, a truck driver, recounted a harrowing experience where armed robbers ambushed his convoy carrying vital humanitarian aid. In a call from Gaza, he described how looters forced him to divert his vehicle and unload thousands of pounds of flour, destined for starving families. By the following day, an estimated 100 trucks of U.N. supplies lay barren, stripped of their contents, in what has been labeled by United Nations officials as one of the conflict's most devastating incidents.

The ongoing conflict, which escalated after Hamas's attacks on October 7, has resulted in over 45,000 casualties among the population, severely impacting food security. Faced with hunger and hardship, aid deliveries have been severely restricted due to Israeli regulations blocking movement between northern and southern Gaza.

Despite Hamas losing control over much of the territory, Israel has not installed a new governing body. In the absence of effective authority, various armed groups have emerged in southern Gaza, causing aid organizations to reassess their operations and leading agencies like the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to suspend aid distribution at the Kerem Shalom crossing. With chaos prevailing and a lack of safe passage for aid trucks, the humanitarian needs of Gazans remain grossly unmet, exacerbating an already precarious situation.