The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has reported a chaotic incident in central Gaza where “hordes of hungry people” stormed a food supply warehouse, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries.
The incident occurred at the Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir Al-Balah, which held critical food supplies earmarked for distribution amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Video footage from AFP news agency showed large crowds breaking into the warehouse, taking bags of flour and cartons of food while gunshots were heard in the background. The source of the gunfire remains unclear as investigations continue.
The WFP described the situation in Gaza as dire, stating that humanitarian needs have “spiralled out of control” following an almost three-month blockade imposed by Israel. The blockade was eased last week, allowing limited humanitarian aid into the territory, but the needs remain overwhelming.
The UN agency emphasised the urgent necessity of scaling up food assistance, saying, “Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve.” Food supplies had been strategically pre-positioned at the warehouse to serve vulnerable populations across Gaza.
Israeli authorities confirmed that 121 trucks carrying humanitarian aid—including flour and food from the UN and international partners—were transferred into Gaza on Wednesday. Despite this, the UN’s Middle East envoy, Sigrid Kaag, told the UN Security Council that the current aid flow is “comparable to a lifeboat after the ship has sunk,” highlighting the scale of the crisis and the risk of famine faced by the population.
Adding to the complex aid situation, a controversial group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has been established with backing from the US and Israel. Operating independently of the UN, GHF uses private security contractors and runs four distribution centers in southern and central Gaza. The US and Israeli governments argue this is necessary to prevent aid theft by Hamas, an allegation the armed group denies.
However, the UN and human rights groups have raised concerns about the GHF. On Tuesday, 47 people were injured after desperate crowds overran one of the GHF’s distribution sites in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, just a day after the group began operating there.
Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN’s humanitarian office for the occupied Palestinian territories, told journalists that aid looting is increasingly widespread. He clarified that there is no evidence Hamas has diverted aid channeled through credible humanitarian groups. Instead, he accused criminal gangs, reportedly allowed to operate near Gaza’s Kerem Shalom crossing, of stealing relief supplies.
The UN has urged for a significant increase in humanitarian aid deliveries, pointing to the recent ceasefire period as an example when a surge in aid deliveries helped reduce looting and allowed the WFP and partners to efficiently distribute food through their established networks across Gaza.
Chioma Kalu
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