Large Gaza food convoy violently looted; 98 trucks lost
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Palestinians waiting to buy bread from a bakery in the central Gaza Strip on Nov 10.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CAIRO – A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Nov 16 after entering Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks in what aid workers say is one of the worst such incidents in the more than 13-month-old war, according to an aid official.
The convoy carrying food provided by UN agencies – the UN agency for Palestine refugees, or UNRWA, and the World Food Programme (WFP) – was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Kerem Shalom crossing, said Ms Louise Wateridge, UNRWA senior emergency officer.
“This incident highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza,” she said, adding that injuries occurred in the incident.
“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.”
WFP and Cogat, the Israeli military agency that deals with Palestinian civilian affairs, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cogat says it does all it can to ensure that enough aid enters the coastal enclave and that Israel does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid.
A UN aid official said on Nov 15 that Gaza aid access has reached a low point, with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible. REUTERS
