Nearly 100 food aid trucks violently looted in Gaza, say UN agencies

GENEVA/CAIRO: Nearly 100 trucks carrying food for Palestinians were violently looted on Nov 16 after entering Gaza, in one of the worst aid losses during 13 months of war in the enclave where hunger is deepening, two UN agencies told Reuters on Monday.

The convoy transporting food provided by UN agencies UNRWA and the World Food Programme was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Kerem Shalom border crossing, said Louise Wateridge, UNRWA senior emergency officer.

Ninety-eight trucks of the 109-truck convoy were raided and some of the transporters were injured during the incident, she said, without detailing who carried out the ambush.

“This… highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza,” she told Reuters.

“The urgency of the crisis cannot be overstated; without immediate intervention, severe food shortages are set to worsen, further endangering the lives of over two million people who depend on humanitarian aid to survive.”

A WFP spokesperson confirmed the looting and said that many routes in Gaza were currently unpassable due to security issues.

An Israeli official said Israel had been working to address the humanitarian situation since the start of the war, adding that the main problem with aid deliveries was UN distribution challenges.

A UN aid official said on Friday that Gaza aid access had reached a low point, with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible. Israel’s devastating military campaign in Gaza was triggered by the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel.