Thousands of Palestinians were found to have broken into Gaza aid warehouses and stolen basic supplies in what many see as desperation amid a rising conflict.
The incident came after the embattled region had nearly three dozen trucks entering in what is considered to be the largest aid convoy since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. However, humanitarian workers said assistance fell desperately short of needs due to residents breaking into the warehouses.
Palestinians Break Into Aid Warehouses
Israel has only allowed a small amount of aid to enter Gaza as it continues to battle the Hamas militant group. A spokesperson at the Rafah crossing, Wael Abo Omar, said that 33 trucks of aid entered the only border crossing from Egypt, as per NBC News.
The United Nations said that the stealing incident was a sign that the residents of Gaza were growing more desperate following three weeks of total siege and bombing. The director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Thomas White, said that it was a worrying sign that civil order in the region was starting to break down.
In a Sunday statement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made repeated appeals to end the bloodshed and agree on a ceasefire to end the "nightmare." He added that the situation in Gaza was growing more and more desperate by the hour. The UN chief said that Israel has intensified its military operations instead of following a humanitarian pause that was supported by the international community.
In the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the latter imposed a total siege on the Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people. Jerusalem officials cut off the region from access to food, water, and electricity. Fortunately, Israel has allowed limited supplies of necessities and medicines to Gaza.
There are also efforts underway to get more supply of food, water, fuel, and medicines in the enclave. In a statement, the Gaza Health Ministry said that the death toll among Palestinians has already crossed 8,000, the majority of which being women and minors.
Siege of Gaza
The situation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a "second stage" in the water after tanks and infantry pushed into Gaza over the weekend. The bombardment of the region was described by Gaza residents as the most intense of the war, according to Aljazeera.
The recent assault knocked out communications in the territory late on Friday and largely cut off the besieged enclave's millions of residents from the rest of the world. On Sunday, communications were restored to the majority of the region.
One of the warehouses that Palestinians broke into is found in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. That facility was where UNRWA stores supplies delivered by humanitarian convoys crossing into the region from Egypt.
The director of communications of UNRWA, Juliette Touma, said that the scenes at the warehouses and distribution centers showed people's despair. She added that the incidents show that the region's people have already reached their breaking point, according to Reuters.
