Thousands of people have looted United Nations aid warehouses to seize supplies, an act that the UN alarmingly describes as a sign of civil order starting to erupt.
“This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege,” Thomas White, director of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza.
With Israel intensifying its military operations against Hamas, over half of Gaza’s 2.4 million inhabitants have been displaced. Even the UN World Food Programme’s senior spokeswoman Abeer Etefa admitted that people in Gaza are “desperate” and “hungry,” which is what made the looting of UN warehouses expected.
The looting incidents occurred primarily at UNRWA’s second-largest depot in Deir al-Balah, situated in the central Gaza Strip. The depots contained basic supplies like flour, soap, and hygiene kits. Individuals who participated in the looting defended their actions by explaining their lack of essential supplies.
“Our houses were destroyed. No one cares about us. We appeal to the people of the world. All international powers are against us. We needed aid, and we wouldn’t have done this if we weren’t in need,” said Gaza resident Abdulrahman al-Kilani, according to BBC.
This sentiment has been reiterated by Abeer Etefa, a senior spokeswoman for the UN World Food Programme (WFP), who stated that these incidents were “expected” given the “difficult conditions facing people.”
This incident could have been avoided. The Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued an urgent warning to the United Nations and its staff and informed Palestinians living north of Wadi Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours to the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
In a direct message to the residents of Gaza, the Prime Minister said, “Leave now because we will operate forcefully everywhere.”
On Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has renewed its call for the civilian population in northern Gaza and Gaza City to temporarily relocate south. Citing an increased “urgency,” the IDF is asking people to move away from areas described as strongholds of Hamas, the terrorist organization that governs Gaza.
Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, an IDF spokesperson, issued a statement in English, stating: “Civilians in northern Gaza and Gaza City should temporarily move south of Wadi Gaza to a safer area where they can receive water, food, and medicine.” The announcement was made on social media platform X, aiming to alert the Gazan populace to move to areas less likely to be the target of military strikes and, thus, potentially safer from collateral damage.
“Hamas terrorists operate inside and under civilian buildings, precisely because they know the IDF distinguishes between terrorists and civilians.”—RAdm. Daniel Hagari pic.twitter.com/DWaa4R27No
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) October 29, 2023
However, Hamas terrorists urged Palestinians to ignore the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) urgent evacuation notice for civilians in northern Gaza, labeling it as “fake propaganda.”
These evil people really wanted the civilians to stay and die. Hamas has a long history of using civilians as human shields, hiding its military assets within densely populated areas, thereby putting non-combatants at risk. Israel’s call for civilians to move is an effort to separate combatants from non-combatants and thereby reduce the risk to innocent lives.
The primary cause for this unfolding humanitarian disaster is not merely the absence of food, medicine, and essential supplies, but a longstanding pattern of irresponsible governance and failed leadership.
The international community has long ignored the reality that Hamas—classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States, and the European Union—has perpetuated the suffering of its own people. Its decision to launch unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, killing over 1,400 people and taking 230 hostages, is not an isolated incident but a pattern of behavior.
What’s particularly disconcerting is how international aid has often been exploited by Hamas for its military endeavors.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, Hamas militants are seen extracting EU-funded water pipelines from the ground and then converting them into rocket components. Rockets produced from these very pipelines have been fired at Israeli civilians in indiscriminate attacks that defy international law.
“Why doesn’t Gaza have running water???”
Well, for starters, Hamas takes all the water pipes and uses them to make rockets to wage genocidal wars against Israel.
pic.twitter.com/jtkJl5OACk— Greg Price (@greg_price11) October 12, 2023
The looting of UNRWA warehouses is a tragic, but unsurprising, symptom of the breakdown in civil order in Gaza. This chaos is the result of failed leadership, governance, and a terrorist organization more committed to its own survival than the welfare of its people. Until Hamas is replaced by a responsible and transparent governance structure that truly cares for its people, these tragedies will continue to unfold.