Gangs in Gaza conduct 'systematic' looting of aid trucks – report
Extensive and organized looting is taking place in Gaza, preventing civilians from receiving the aid being sent to them from around the world, The New York Times reported on Monday.
UN official Georgios Petropoulos, who is based in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, told the NYT that the situation has devolved into “systematic, tactical, armed, crime-syndicate looting.”
The report outlined several reasons for the significant increase in looting.
On the one hand, “the United Nations does not allow Israeli soldiers to protect aid convoys, fearing that would compromise its neutrality,” and asks instead that Israel allow Gaza police to protect the convoys.
Yet, Israel Defense Forces does not consider the Gazan police to be an entity distinct from Hamas, and thus the police force in the Strip has greatly diminished due to the IDF’s targeting of Hamas in all its forms.
While the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has been able to successfully deliver aid through an IDF-controlled route along the Gaza-Egypt border, it has said it is no longer able to do so through the Kerem Shalom crossing, as it has become too dangerous due to the extensive looting.
The NYT further reported that this food is sold by looters at high prices, exacerbating the hunger and despair of Gazan residents as “hundreds of truckloads of relief are piling up at the crossing in part because aid groups fear they will be looted.”
Petropoulos blamed the IDF for allowing the looting.
“There is continued tolerance by the Israel Defense Forces of unacceptable amounts of looting of areas that are ostensibly and de facto under their military control,” he said.
However, an IDF spokesperson told the NYT that the IDF does target the armed looters.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
You might also like to read this:
