Desperation Mounts in Gaza as Food Shortage Worsens Amid Blockade and Airstrikes

Strategic Insights -

Desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip blocked and offloaded dozens of food trucks, the U.N. World Food Program said Saturday, as the nearly three-month Israeli blockade pushed the population to the brink of famine. While Israel allowed some aid to enter recently, organizations say there still isn't nearly enough food getting in. The U.N. says it's been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting, and that the fear of starvation in Gaza is high.

Key Takeaways:

  • 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks were able to reach their destination.
  • The WFP said the fear of starvation in Gaza is high despite the food aid that's entering now, and that communities need to be "flooded" with food for the next few days to calm anxieties.
  • An internal document shared with aid groups about security incidents said there were four incidents of facilities being looted in three days at the end of May, not including the convoy on Saturday.
  • The U.N. says it's been unable to get enough aid in because of fighting, and that only five truckloads of cargo from the Palestinian side of the Kareem Shalom crossing were picked up on Friday.
  • The new Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, backed by the U.S. and Israel, started operations in Gaza this week, distributing food at several sites in a chaotic rollout, but aid groups have accused it of militarizing aid.

Statistics:

  • At least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
  • Over 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, have been killed by Israeli strikes since the war began.
  • 58 hostages remain in Gaza, according to Hamas, but Israel believes 35 are dead and there are "doubts" about the fate of several others.
  • The WFP said that 77 trucks carrying aid, mostly flour, were stopped by hungry people who took the food before the trucks were able to reach their destination.
  • 60 trucks had to return due to intense hostilities on Friday, according to the U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • U.N. World Food Program
  • Gaza Health Ministry
  • Palestinian officials
  • Israeli officials
  • Unnamed aid groups and officials