Israel allows armed gangs to loot aid trucks in Gaza, local authorities say
Palestinian officials accused the Israeli army of permitting armed gangs to loot aid trucks in Gaza, obstructing the safe delivery of essential supplies. Ismail Thawabteh, head of Gaza's media office, claimed that Israeli forces prevent Palestinian security from protecting the aid and threaten retaliation.
- Middle East
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 04:44 | 12 November 2024
- Modified Date: 04:54 | 12 November 2024
Palestinian authorities accused the Israeli army on Tuesday of allowing armed gangs to loot aid trucks in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
"The army allows armed gangs to steal aid trucks and goods and impose fees," Ismail Thawabteh, who heads Gaza's government media office, told Anadolu.
He said Israeli forces prevent Palestinian police officers and private security companies from securing the aid trucks and threaten to target them.
"This strategy serves the (Israeli) deliberate policy of starvation against the Palestinians, and confirms that the goal is to prevent the delivery of aid," he added.
Several Palestinian policemen and security guards were killed in Israeli attacks while guarding aid trucks in Gaza.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of "intolerable" looming famine in the Palestinian enclave.
"Alarmed by today's IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report findings that high displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid flows mean people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger," Guterres wrote on X.
Israel has continued its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. The onslaught has killed more than 43,600 victims and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
- Humanitarian aid in Gaza 'nowhere near' enough to meet urgent needs: UN
- 2 Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis city in Gaza
- Biden hosts Israeli President Herzog at White House amid aid deadline
- Israeli army begins 2nd phase of ground operation in southern Lebanon: Report
- Israeli army guns down Palestinian teenager near Nablus in West Bank