1 of 5 | A Palestinian woman carries a baby in the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. Israel pounded Gaza with more air and ground attacks in an escalating military campaign as the United Nations warned civil order was “starting to break down” in the besieged Palestinian territory. Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo
Aid workers warned Sunday that civil disorder is starting to break down in Gaza after thousands of people looted flour and other basic survival items from warehouses and distribution centers.
Facilities looted include a Deir al-Balah warehouse where the United Nations Relief and Works Agency stores supplies from Egypt. Advertisement
At the same time, the Palestinian Red Crescent said Israeli authorities warned it would conduct missile strikes near the Al-Quds Hospital. World Health Organization Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called Israel’s threat “deeply concerning” and noted that healthcare must be protected under international law.
The @PalestineRCS report of evacuation threats to Al-Quds hospital in Gaza is deeply concerning.
We reiterate – it’s impossible to evacuate hospitals full of patients without endangering their lives.
Under International Humanitarian Law, healthcare must always be protected.— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 29, 2023
Thomas White, Director of UNRWA Affairs in the Gaza Strip, said the looting is a “worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza.” Advertisement
“People are scared, frustrated and desperate. Tensions and fear are made worse by the cuts in the phones and internet communication lines. They feel that they are on their own, cut off from their families inside Gaza and the rest of the world,” White said.
While UNRWA teams in Gaza said internet services and connections were later restored, the massive amount of people moving south in the Gaza Strip has placed pressure on the communities and public services. Some families are taking in as many as 50 relatives in one household, White said.
“Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient. The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meager and inconsistent,” White said.
