3 days ago
Around 100 WFP flour trucks looted in Gaza as malnutrition deepens under Israeli aid restrictions
Around 100 aid trucks carrying flour meant to be delivered to families were looted on Friday shortly after crossing into southern Gaza.
Eighty truck drivers were injured to varying degrees, Nahed Shehaiber, head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, told Mada Masr, warning that continued looting of aid convoys could halt all deliveries from the border.
The incident disrupted a new flour distribution operation managed by the World Food Program, which was meant to represent a major step in combatting starvation and ensuring that the scarce humanitarian aid reaches those who need it most after nearly three months of Israel's total siege on the coastal enclave.
The only alternative source of supplies at present is the dangerous aid collection sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — a United States-based company designated by Israel to distribute aid in areas adjacent to zones under Israeli military control across the strip.
Shehaiber said the Friday looting incidents took place in several different sites after the convoy crossed out of Israeli-controlled areas into southern Gaza. Some trucks were intercepted in the Nuseirat area and others near the court complex in Netsarim, central Gaza.
The convoy was ambushed upon reaching northern Khan Younis, eyewitness Ahmed al-Najjar told Mada Masr. Armed gangs opened heavy fire on the trucks leading the way, forcing them to stop and bringing the entire convoy to a standstill.
Once the trucks stopped, Najjar said, gang members climbed onto the vehicles and offloaded flour sacks into personal cars parked along the roadside. At first, they blocked residents from approaching, but once their vehicles were full, they left, allowing others to gather what remained.
Another eyewitness from southern Khan Younis, near the 'red zone' under Israeli military control in Rafah, told Mada Masr that some aid trucks were already empty upon leaving the area, suggesting they may have been looted within Israeli-controlled areas.
The flour was set to be delivered to the WFP, which requested last week that the Israeli military grant it permission to distribute the flour sacks to families who need humanitarian support following the months of siege, calling it 'the most effective way to prevent widespread starvation.'
Cases of malnutrition have surged amid the total blockade, with the Gaza Government Media Office reporting that it played a part in the deaths of over 300 people since March.
The siege was partially lifted two weeks ago, when Israel allowed the WFP to deliver very limited amounts of flour to designated bakeries within the strip, which were then tasked with handing out the loaves. However, overcrowding made access difficult, and many bakeries and storehouses were looted and have since shut down.
The only other alternative for people is to travel to a few designated collection sites, all of which are located near Israeli military zones, where they must undergo security checks before being allowed to take rationed goods. Forty-nine people have already been killed at these sites, Gaza Government Office head Ismail al-Thawabta said on Sunday.
The amount of aid currently being delivered to the strip 'makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch,' United Nation Relief and Works Agency Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated on Saturday. He called for the UN, including UNRWA, to be granted access to deliver aid and uphold human dignity.
UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and 'the worst it has been' since the war began. 'Humanitarian needs have exploded in Gaza following nearly 80 days of a total blockade of all supplies,' he said.
