UN: Nearly 100 Gaza food aid trucks looted in violent raids

A violent looting incident hit Gaza on Saturday as 97 UN aid trucks were seized, UNRWA confirmed. The convoy, carrying food aid, was ambushed near Kerem Shalom crossing. Armed attackers forced drivers at gunpoint to unload supplies, marking one of Gaza’s worst aid thefts. Grenades were reportedly used in the assault.

UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the chaos, citing a “breakdown of civil order” in Gaza. This collapse, worsened by ongoing conflict, has left humanitarian operations impossible. With food supplies dwindling, over two million rely on aid to survive. A UN report warned famine is likely in northern Gaza.

The looted convoy had been rerouted by Israeli authorities, said UNRWA, but exact details remain unclear. Gaza’s Hamas-run government claimed it killed 20 “gang members” linked to aid thefts. UNRWA’s Lazzarini stated that escalating gang conflicts make operations untenable.

Desperate locals stormed an UNRWA center in Khan Younis, believing aid had arrived. However, looted trucks left nothing behind. UNRWA blamed Israel for failing to protect aid deliveries under international law. Israeli officials have yet to comment.