"We Have to Feed Our Families"... Starving Gaza Residents Loot UN Aid Trucks

"77 Aid Trucks Looted," Reports Say
Prolonged War Puts Entire Population at Risk of Starvation

In the Gaza Strip, where a prolonged war has led to a severe food crisis, starving residents have stopped aid trucks and looted food supplies.

On the 27th of last month (local time), residents of the Gaza Strip were carrying boxes of food and relief supplies supported by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in southern Rafah. Photo by AP Yonhap News

On May 31 (local time), international media outlets such as the BBC and CNN reported that approximately 77 aid trucks from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) were looted by starving civilians while en route to distribution centers in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip. The WFP explained, "All the trucks were stopped along the way and the food was taken mainly by people desperate to feed their families." WFP spokesperson Abeer Etefa stated, "When there is a high likelihood that aid trucks will not reach their destinations such as warehouses, and crowds gather, we usually allow people to take the aid supplies," adding, "Those who looted the aid trucks that day were mainly desperate individuals who, upon hearing that food was coming, could not wait for it to reach the distribution centers."

A video filmed that day in Khan Younis in southern Gaza showed people carrying sacks of flour, while in the Netzarim area of central Gaza, international media reported that gunshots were heard behind crowds scrambling to get flour.

Previously, Israel lifted a strict blockade that had lasted for about 80 days and, starting on the 19th of last month, allowed aid supplies to enter the Gaza Strip. However, international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) claimed that even after the blockade was lifted, sufficient food and aid supplies were still not entering the area. They reported that, despite Israel granting permission, only about 900 trucks had entered over the past two weeks, which is just slightly more than 10% of the amount needed by the starving residents of Gaza. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also warned at a press conference that the Gaza Strip is currently the hungriest place on earth, with the entire population of over 2 million people effectively facing famine.

Last week, tens of thousands of starving residents crowded into a distribution center opened by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization led by Israel and the United States, resulting in chaos that left 11 people dead and dozens injured. As such extreme hunger continues, incidents of residents looting aid trucks or food distribution centers have occurred, creating a vicious cycle that makes it increasingly difficult for the international community to carry out relief efforts.