GENEVA/CAIRO, Nov 18 — A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Saturday after entering Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks in what aid workers said was one of the worst such incidents in the more than 13-month-old war, a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) aid official told Reuters today.
The convoy carrying food provided by UN agencies UNRWA and the World Food Programme (WFP) was instructed by Israel to depart at short notice via an unfamiliar route from Kerem Shalom crossing, UNRWA senior emergency officer told Reuters.
“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,” she said.
WFP and the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories — the Israeli military agency that deals with Palestinian civilian affairs — did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency said it does all it can to ensure enough aid enters the coastal enclave, and that Israel does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid.
A UN aid official said on Friday that Gaza aid access had reached a low point, with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible.
— Reuters
