Large food convoy violently looted in Gaza, UNRWA says

A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted connected Saturday aft entering Gaza, resulting successful nan nonaccomplishment of 98 trucks, an charismatic from nan United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has said.

The looting is 1 of nan worst specified incidents successful nan much than 13-month-old Israeli battle connected nan besieged and bombarded enclave, Louise Wateridge, elder emergency serviceman for UNRWA, said connected Monday.

The convoy carrying nutrient provided by UN agencies UNRWA and nan World Food Programme was instructed by Israel to depart astatine short announcement via an unfamiliar way from nan Karem Abu Salem [Kerem Shalom] crossing pinch Gaza.

“This incident highlights nan severity of entree challenges of bringing assistance into confederate and cardinal Gaza,” Wateridge said, adding that injuries occurred successful nan incident.

“⁠The urgency of nan situation cannot beryllium overstated; without contiguous intervention, terrible nutrient shortages are group to worsen, further endangering nan lives of complete 2 cardinal group who dangle connected humanitarian assistance to survive,” she said.

UNRWA did not specify who carried retired nan looting.

Israel claims it does each it tin to guarantee that capable assistance enters nan coastal enclave, and that it does not forestall nan introduction of humanitarian aid.

However, a UN assistance charismatic said connected Friday that Gaza assistance entree had reached a debased point, pinch deliveries to parts of nan besieged northbound of nan enclave each but impossible.

In nan northbound – namely successful Jabalia, Beit Hanoon, and Beit Lahia – virtually nary nutrient has been allowed to participate for much than a month, ever since Israeli forces renewed a crushed battle successful nan area, which has been wholly trim disconnected from nan remainder of nan Gaza Strip.

Looming famine

Earlier this month, experts from a sheet that monitors nutrient information said famine is imminent successful nan northbound aliases whitethorn already beryllium happening.

The UN Office for nan Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that location are betwixt 75,000 and 95,000 group still successful bluish Gaza.

The area is being pounded by Israeli forces. According to Palestinian wellness officials, much than 1,000 Palestinians person been killed since nan renewed violative began past month.

Israel has killed astatine slightest 43,922 Palestinians since it launched its devastating battle connected Gaza connected October 7, 2023. That followed a Hamas-led onslaught connected confederate Israel, successful which 1,139 group were killed.

Along pinch stepping up nan bombardment, nan Israeli service has issued caller waves of forced displacement orders for residents of bluish Gaza.

But galore Palestinians person refused to time off contempt nan catastrophic humanitarian conditions and nan near-daily shelling. Some fearfulness that if they time off bluish Gaza, they consequence being attacked by Israeli soldiers and snipers.

Health officials opportunity nan siege has crippled nan healthcare system successful bluish Gaza and is besides blocking aesculapian teams from reaching bombarded sites.

Israel has banned UNRWA from operating successful nan state and has trim ties pinch it, claiming nan organisation has ties to Hamas, which UNRWA denies. The agency cautioned connected Monday that a halt to its activities successful Israel and occupied East Jerusalem would artifact it from coordinating monolithic assistance efforts wrong Gaza.

“There is nary scheme B,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters successful Geneva, Switzerland connected Monday.

The only replacement to UNRWA’s activity successful Gaza is to let Israel to tally services there, Lazzarini said, repeating calls for countries to defy nan Israeli prohibition connected nan organisation, which is group to travel into effect successful January.

Lazzarini is successful Geneva for a strategy gathering pinch donors. The ban, he said, is 1 of nan darkest moments successful nan agency’s history.

“I person drawn nan attraction of nan personnel states that now nan timepiece is ticking … We person to extremity aliases forestall nan implementation of this bill,” he told reporters.

The ordered suspension of nan agency sparked world condemnation, including from cardinal Israeli state nan United States.

UNRWA provides assistance to astir six cardinal Palestinian refugees crossed Gaza, nan occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies