Aid trucks looted in Gaza
A rescuer carries the body of a baby dug out from under the rubble, following an Israeli strike that hit the home of a Palestinian family in Jabalia in Gaza. Photo: AFP
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The United Nations chief said Friday that Palestinians were enduring "the cruelest phase" of the war in Gaza, where more than a dozen food trucks were looted following the partial easing of a lengthy Israeli blockade.
Aid was just beginning to trickle back into the war-torn territory after Israel announced it would allow limited shipments to resume as it pressed a newly expanded offensive aimed at destroying Hamas.
Gaza's civil defence agency reported at least 16 people killed in "Israeli strikes in various areas across" the territory on Friday.
Agency official Mohammed al-Mughayyir told AFP the attacks had also wounded dozens of people.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said "Palestinians in Gaza are enduring what may be the cruelest phase of this cruel conflict", adding that Israel "must agree to allow and facilitate" humanitarian deliveries.
He pointed to snags, however, noting that of the nearly 400 trucks cleared to enter Gaza in recent days, only 115 were able to be collected.
"In any case, all the aid authorised until now amounts to a teaspoon of aid when a flood of assistance is required," he added in a statement.
"Meanwhile, the Israeli military offensive is intensifying with atrocious levels of death and destruction," he said.
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