Gaza Strip: UN: Armed gangs are looting in the Gaza Strip

The new UN emergency aid coordinator Tom Fletcher sees a breakdown of law and order in the Gaza Strip. “We are now also experiencing the breakdown of law and order and the systematic armed looting of our supplies by local gangs,” said Fletcher during a visit to the Middle East region.

It is almost impossible to get even a fraction of the necessary relief supplies into the Palestinian territory. The living conditions are almost unbearable.

More than 100 aid deliveries rejected

The north of the Gaza Strip has been virtually under siege for more than two months. There is a threat of famine there. Israel has rejected more than 100 requests to authorize UN aid deliveries since October 6, said Fletcher, who heads the UN emergency relief agency OCHA.

Israel’s attacks in densely populated areas – including those where Israeli forces had displaced people – continued. Nowhere are people safe. “Schools, hospitals and civil infrastructure have been reduced to rubble.”

According to Israel, there is enough aid, but the United Nations is unable to distribute it in the Gaza Strip. According to international legal opinion – such as that of the International Court of Justice – the Gaza Strip is Israeli-occupied territory in which Israel is responsible for maintaining order. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sees Israel as having a duty to ensure that people are provided with everything they need. Since the military withdrawal in 2005, Israel no longer sees itself as an occupying power.