Gaza’s Hunger Crisis Explodes: Looting Sweeps Aid Sites Amid Starvation
A wave of looting across Gaza has exposed the dire hunger crisis gripping the territory, driven by forced starvation, with at least five incidents reported on Wednesday targeting community kitchens, merchants’ stores, and a UNRWA complex.
The raids, driven by desperation, come two months after Israel halted medical, fuel, and food supplies to the enclave, intensifying a humanitarian collapse.
Desperation Fuels Chaos
Thousands of displaced Palestinians stormed the UNRWA complex in Gaza City, seizing medicines and damaging vehicles.
“The looting, while devastating, is not surprising in the face of total systemic collapse,” said Louise Wateridge, a senior UNRWA official based in Jordan. “We are witnessing the consequences of a society brought to its knees by prolonged siege and violence.”
Amjad Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network (PNGO) in Gaza, called the looting:
Community kitchens, feeding hundreds of thousands, now face closure due to dwindling supplies and the growing threat of raids.
“This is going to undermine the ability of the community kitchens to provide meals to a great number of families,” Shawa told Reuters.
Authorities Respond, Blame Israel
Ismail al-Thawabta, director of the Gaza Government Media Office, described the incidents as “isolated individual practices that do not reflect the values and ethics of our Palestinian people.”
He insisted that Gaza authorities, despite being targeted, are “following up on these incidents and addressing them in a way that ensures the preservation of order and human dignity.”
Thawabta pointed to Israel’s blockade, in place since March 2, as the root cause, accusing it of exacerbating hunger over stalled ceasefire talks.
A Society on the Brink
The United Nations has warned of worsening child malnutrition, with Gaza’s fragile aid infrastructure crumbling under the weight of violence and deprivation.
As Israeli airstrikes killed at least 12 people on Thursday, the territory’s residents face an unprecedented struggle for survival, with hope fading amid the chaos.