U.N. relief trucks transporting food into Gaza were plundered overnight, residents and merchants claimed on Wednesday, barely hours after thousands of desperate Palestinians overran a US-backed aid distribution center.
The incidents show the increased difficulties of transporting crucial supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians experiencing worsening hunger as a result of Israel’s extended embargo and continuous violence.
Large crowds rushed toward a distribution facility run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is a part of a new relief operation backed by the United States, on Tuesday, prompting Israeli military to fire warning shots.
The initiative seeks to prevent humanitarian aid from ending up in the hands of Hamas.
Under the new agreement, Israel permitted 95 trucks run by the United Nations and other aid organizations to enter Gaza in spite of the uproar.
However, a number of Gaza merchants and residents said that late Tuesday night, Palestinians stormed and looted several of those trucks.
A Palestinian transport operator said that at least 20 trucks from the World Food Programme were intercepted and ransacked just before midnight.
Israeli military operations resumed in Gaza in March after a temporary truce.
Airstrikes continued on Wednesday, with Palestinian health officials reporting at least 15 deaths, including eight members of a local journalist’s family.
The new aid delivery system requires individuals to undergo screening to ensure they are not affiliated with Hamas, though witnesses reported little evidence of any proper identification checks on Tuesday.
Israel has justified the blockade on humanitarian aid, accusing Hamas of commandeering supplies, an allegation the group denies.
U.N. officials say they have not seen evidence of Hamas looting trucks since Israel began easing the blockade earlier this month in response to international pressure.
Meanwhile, Hamas has urged Gazans not to use the new U.S.-backed aid sites in southern Gaza, denying Israeli claims that it is preventing access.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, criticised the U.N. and aid groups for not participating in the new system, calling it sad and disgusting.
He claimed the new distribution method was working, stating, “People received food, and Hamas didn’t steal it.”
However, international condemnation of Israel’s military campaign is growing. France, Germany, Britain, and now Italy have all warned of possible actions if the offensive continues.
Israel launched the Gaza operation in retaliation for the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed around 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 hostages taken into Gaza.
Since then, more than 54,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed, and large parts of Gaza have been devastated. The enclave’s population—over 2 million—is now crowded into shrinking areas, mainly along the coast and in the south near Khan Younis.
