Crisis in Gaza: Aid Trucks Looted Amid Distribution Chaos

UN trucks delivering essential food supplies to Gaza were stopped and looted, reported Gaza residents and merchants. This incident highlights the difficulties in providing aid to hundreds of thousands facing hunger from a protracted Israeli blockade, as Israel intensifies military operations within the region.

Despite Israeli troops firing warning shots, crowds overran a distribution point, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed group supplying aid under a new system aimed at preventing aid from reaching Hamas. The foundation disputes claims of a site overrun, insisting security protocols were temporarily relaxed to avoid provoking the crowd.

Meanwhile, some trucks reached their destinations only to face barriers set by insiders intent on intercepting goods. An ongoing military offensive has exacerbated the crisis, with international condemnation growing. Calls for halting the operation rise, as Palestinian health officials report escalated casualties.

(With inputs from agencies.)