Thousands of hungry Gazans storm UN aid warehouse
Thousands of desperate Palestinians have stormed a UN warehouse in central Gaza run by the World Food Programme, with the group reporting two possible deaths in the chaos, as Israel and the UN traded blame over the territory's hunger crisis.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza, where aid has finally begun to trickle in after a two-month blockade, is dire after 19 months of war. Food security experts say starvation is looming for one in five people.
Footage from AFP showed crowds of Palestinians breaking into the warehouse in Deir Al Balah and taking bags of emergency supplies as gunshots rang out.
'Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP's Al Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, in search of food supplies that were pre-positioned for distribution,' the WFP said on X. 'Initial reports indicate two people died and several were injured in the tragic incident.'
Israel accused the UN of seeking to block aid distribution, while the UN said it was doing its best to help the distribution of the limited assistance approved by Israeli authorities.
Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon told the UN Security Council that aid was entering Gaza by lorry at the Karam Abu Salem crossing, also known as the Kerem Shalom crossing, and through a 'new distribution mechanism developed in co-ordination with the US and key international partners'.
He was referring to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new US and Israeli-backed group which began operations on Monday. Mr Danon accused the UN of 'trying to block' its work, saying it was 'using threats, intimidation and retaliation against NGOs that choose to participate in the new humanitarian mechanism'.
The UN and other international aid groups have refused to work with the foundation because they say the plan is not neutral.
Mr Danon said Israel would allow aid deliveries into Gaza 'for the immediate future' from both the UN and the foundation.
But Israel ultimately wants the UN to work through the foundation, which is using private US security and logistics companies to transport aid for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites.
'The UN should put their ego aside and co-operate with the new mechanism,' Mr Danon said before the Security Council meeting.
As the Gaza war entered its 600th day on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the conflict had 'changed the face of the Middle East'.
He said it had killed tens of thousands of militants including Mohammed Sinwar, the presumed leader of Hamas and brother of Yahya, the slain mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks that sparked the war.
Israeli media said Mohammed Sinwar was killed by strikes in southern Gaza earlier this month. His brother was killed in October 2024.
In Washington, US envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism about a possible ceasefire, saying he expected to propose a plan soon.
'We are on the precipice of sending out a new term sheet that hopefully will be delivered later on today,' he said. 'The President [Donald Trump] is going to review it.
'I have some very good feelings about getting to a … temporary ceasefire, and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict.'
In Israel, hundreds of people called for a ceasefire in Tel Aviv, lining roads at 6.29am – the exact time the October 7, 2023 attack began. Relatives of hostages held since that attack also gathered in the city.
Several hundred people also gathered at kibbutz Nir Oz in southern Israel, where nearly a quarter of residents were killed or taken hostage in the attack.
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