Humanitarian Aid Distribution in Gaza Hindered by Looting and Lawlessness
The distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza has hit a major roadblock as hungry Palestinians and criminal gangs loot aid trucks before they can reach their intended destinations. With over 450 trucks carrying food and medical supplies lined up at the Kerem Shalom crossing, aid agencies are struggling to ensure safe passage through the besieged strip. The dire humanitarian situation has been exacerbated by the breakdown of law and order, as blue-uniformed Palestinian police ceased operations due to months without salaries and Israeli air strikes on police stations and cars.
Scott Anderson, senior deputy director at the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, in Gaza, highlighted the critical issue of a 3km stretch of road that trucks must traverse from Kerem Shalom before being unloaded for further distribution inside Gaza. Only a few trucks have managed to safely cross this area in recent days. Anderson explained, “There was a breakdown in law and order over many months, and in the last week, it has boiled over. Because of the scarcity of aid, the situation has morphed over time into criminal elements trying to get to the aid before it reaches our distribution points.”
The disruption on this 3km corridor has nearly emptied UNRWA’s warehouses, making the resumption of aid deliveries crucial. The UN has been able to deliver hot meals, wheat flour, and tinned food to feed at least 1 million people. However, conditions along this stretch of road are rapidly deteriorating, with Anderson comparing it to “Mad Max territory,” alluding to the violence depicted in post-apocalyptic Hollywood movies. Trucks have been attacked, including one incident where an axe was thrown through a window. A Jordanian aid truck was looted, and the driver suffered a broken arm.
Even the aid that manages to pass through this gauntlet is at risk. Gangs of young men have been jumping the fence into unloading areas, stealing supplies and transporting them on donkey carts. Fresh fruit and vegetables leaving the gates of the unloading area are also being looted. Transporting aid from southern Gaza to the north is particularly dangerous, with young men targeting trucks and stealing supplies, leaving older people and women unable to access them.
The World Food Programme has suspended aid deliveries to northern Gaza after hungry crowds descended on their trucks, which also faced gunfire. Jamie McGoldrick, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for the Middle East, emphasized that with humanitarian assistance falling far behind the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, aid convoys have become lucrative targets. He stated, “Lawlessness breeds lawlessness. If we were able to secure a regular supply, and people saw trucks coming in all the time, they wouldn’t worry that ‘this may be my only chance to feed my family’.” McGoldrick suggested that stepping up supplies rapidly would eliminate the incentive to steal them.
Israel could play a role in easing the situation by allowing more points for aid to cross into Gaza and creating a secure environment for deliveries to continue. McGoldrick urged for local community leaders to accompany the deliveries to help them reach their final destinations. Israeli officials have blamed the UN and other international bodies for the lack of logistical capacity in the strip.
On Wednesday, Egypt brokered a tentative deal with Israel to allow Palestinian police to return to work in official cars, albeit without their uniforms. This development raises expectations that the police can now secure the convoys. The police had been hesitant to resume operations, especially after an Israeli air strike on February 6 that killed six policemen as they were securing a road for an aid truck carrying flour in southern Gaza.
Israel has targeted some police in Gaza for their affiliation with Hamas’s military wing, aiming to disconnect Hamas from governing the enclave. There are concerns that Hamas is siphoning away aid. Commercial supplies through the Rafah crossing with Egypt have also been disrupted.
The situation in Gaza remains fragile, with people living hand to mouth. McGoldrick emphasized the need for a backstop and a constant pipeline of aid. Immediate action is required to address the looting and lawlessness that hinder humanitarian aid distribution in Gaza, ensuring that the desperate population receives the assistance they urgently need.
