Escalating Hunger in Gaza Sparks Break-In at Food Warehouse

The World Food Programme reports rising desperation in Gaza, leading to a break-in at a food warehouse, where two died and many were injured amid chaos sparked by increasing hunger due to a prolonged blockade.

The United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) has voiced grave concern over the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, revealing that "hordes of hungry people" broke into a food supply warehouse in central Gaza. Tragically, the incident, which also resulted in injuries to several others, left two confirmed dead. The WFP is still in the process of verifying these details.

Footage captured by the AFP depicted large crowds forcefully entering the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, seizing bags of flour and food from the premises while gunfire echoed in the area. The source of the gunfire remains unclear. Highlighting the urgent need for food assistance, the WFP stated that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has "spiraled out of control" following an Israeli blockade that was only eased last week.

Pre-positioned food supplies at the warehouse were intended for distribution, but the ongoing crisis necessitates an immediate scale-up of food assistance, according to the WFP. The organization has long warned about the deteriorating conditions within Gaza, cautioning that restricting humanitarian aid exacerbates the plight of those in critical need.

On Wednesday, Israeli authorities reported that 121 trucks affiliated with the UN and international entities delivered humanitarian aid, including food products, into Gaza. The Israeli government only began allowing limited aid last week. Complicating matters, a controversial group backed by the U.S. and Israel, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has emerged as a private aid distributor. Critics, including the UN, have labeled the GHF's methods as unethically bypassing established international aid protocols, despite claims it protects aid from being stolen by Hamas, which the group denies.

Recent incidents have underscored the chaotic environment surrounding aid distribution, with reports indicating 47 injuries incurred during a GHF distribution site overflow in Rafah. Another prominent UN official confirmed that desperate crowds were looting from UN aid trucks. Jonathan Whittall, leading the UN's humanitarian office for the region, asserted there is no evidence suggesting Hamas is diverting aid facilitated through credible humanitarian channels, instead attributing theft largely to criminal gangs operating near the Kerem Shalom crossing.

UN representatives argue that increasing aid volumes, akin to the surge during a recent temporary ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas, could mitigate looting incidents and optimize the utilization of their established distribution networks throughout Gaza, which are crucial for delivering relief to the starving populace.