The Ministry of the Interior of the Gaza Strip, governed by Hamas, reported this Monday the death of at least 20 people in an operation against “gangs” that loot humanitarian aid that arrives in this Palestinian territory devastated by war and threatened by famine.
“More than 20 members of the robbery gangs involved in looting humanitarian aid trucks were killed in an operation carried out by the security services with the cooperation of tribal committees,” he said in a statement.
“Today’s security operation will not be the last,” added the ministry, which reported that the phenomenon of truck robberies “has seriously impacted society and “It has caused signs of famine in southern Gaza.”
A source from the Khan Yunis European Hospital told AFP on Monday that they received the bodies of 15 people killed in incidents linked to the anti-looting operation.
A source from the Ministry of the Interior told AFP that the nearly 20 deaths were related to the looting that a World Food Program (WFP) convoy with aid for Gaza suffered on Saturday.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric reported at a press conference in New York on Monday that of the 109 trucks that entered from Kerem Shalom, only 11 reached the distribution depots.
Israel imposed a total siege on Gaza at the beginning of the conflict in October 2023, which hindered the distribution of aid due to a lack of fuel.
Added to this obstacle were the damage to the roads, the looting and the fighting that rages in this territory where nearly 2.4 million people live.
Several sources from humanitarian organizations who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity say that about half of the aid that reaches Gaza is looted.
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