Food shortages in Gaza Lead to Violence at a UN Warehouse, WFP Demands Immediate Aid Increase

The UN WFP cautions that in light of the escalating humanitarian situation and conflict, Gaza urgently needs to increase its food supplies.

Two people were killed and numerous more were injured in a chaotic episode in central Gaza where “hordes of hungry people” stormed a food supply warehouse, according to the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP). 

Critical food supplies intended for distribution in the midst of a deteriorating humanitarian crisis were stored at the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah when the incident took place.

Gunshots could be heard in the background as big groups broke into the warehouse and took food cartons and bundles of flour, according to video from the AFP news agency. Investigations are ongoing to determine the origin of the shooting.

The WFP said that after Israel put a blockade on Gaza for nearly three months, humanitarian needs have “spiralled out of control,” characterizing the situation as severe. Last week, the blockade was loosened, allowing some humanitarian goods to enter the area, but the needs are still too great.

“Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance,” the UN agency said, highlighting the pressing need to increase food assistance. People can only be reassured that they won’t starve in this way. In order to assist Gaza’s most vulnerable citizens, food supplies had been carefully prepositioned at the warehouse.

According to Israeli officials, 121 trucks loaded with food and flour from the United Nations and other international partners were moved into Gaza on Wednesday. Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Middle East envoy, highlighted the scope of the situation and the population’s risk of starvation by telling the UN Security Council that the present relief flow is “comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk.”

A contentious organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was founded with support from the US and Israel, further complicating the humanitarian situation. GHF, which operates independently of the UN, operates four distribution hubs in central and southern Gaza and employs private security contractors. The armed group disputes the US and Israeli governments’ claim that this is required to stop Hamas from stealing funds.

Nonetheless, the GHF has drawn criticism from the UN and human rights organizations. Just one day after the GHF started functioning in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, frantic masses overran one of the organization’s distribution facilities on Tuesday, injuring 47 people.

Aid looting is becoming more common, according to Jonathan Whittall, chief of the UN’s humanitarian office for the occupied Palestinian territory, who spoke to reporters. He explained that there is no proof that Hamas has redirected aid that was routed through reliable humanitarian organizations. Rather, he accused criminal groups of stealing aid supplies that are allegedly permitted to operate close to the Kerem Shalom gate in Gaza.

Citing the last truce period as an example, where a spike in aid delivery helped curb looting and enabled the WFP and partners to effectively distribute food through their established networks throughout Gaza, the UN has called for a major increase in humanitarian aid deliveries.