UN Agency Delays Delivery of Aid to Gaza Due to Riots and Looting

Delivery of aid to Gaza. (Twitter/@DrTedros)

JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) World Food Program (WFP) on Tuesday stopped sending aid to northern Gaza, after a convoy of trucks encountered gunfire and looting amid widespread famine in the region.

After a three-week halt, the UN food agency resumed deliveries on Sunday, but the convoy "faced chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order".

More than 20 weeks after Israel went to war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, UN agencies have warned that food and clean water are extremely scarce. WFP said its teams had reported |unprecedented levels of desperation," reported Daily Sabah, February 21.

The Rome-based agency said it plans to send food trucks every day for seven days.

But on Sunday, the convoy had to fend off "numerous attempts by people trying to get into our trucks, then faced gunfire as we entered Gaza City," he said.

"On Monday, the second convoy's journey north encountered chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order," the agency said.

"Several trucks were looted and a truck driver was beaten. Leftover flour was spontaneously distributed from trucks in Gaza City, amid high tensions and explosive anger," he added.

WFP said it was forced to halt shipments "until conditions allow safe distribution."

"WFP is temporarily suspending the delivery of life-saving food aid to North Gaza until conditions are safe for our staff and the people we want to reach," explained the organization, quoted by The Times of Israel.

“Our decision to stop shipping to the north was not an easy one. "Safety and security in distributing important food aid, and for the people who receive it, must be ensured," the agency continued.

The agency added that the decision was not one to be taken lightly as it would mean the situation there would worsen and more people would be at risk of dying from starvation.

It is known that since the start of the new Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza last October, the Palestinian enclave has been plunged into a food crisis, while aid from outside has been severely limited.