As famine threatens the Gaza Strip, a food convoy from the World Food Program (WFP) was blocked on Tuesday March 5 by the Israeli army inside the Gaza Strip.
It was then looted by
“a desperate crowd
,” the UN agency said.
According to the WFP, 14 trucks carrying around 200 tonnes of food were heading towards the north of the territory, for the first time since the agency suspended deliveries there on February 20, when the convoy was stopped at a checkpoint in the territory. Israeli army.
After three hours of waiting at this checkpoint in Wadi Gaza, in the center of the territory, the convoy was forced to turn back, the agency, headquartered in Rome, said in a statement.
The trucks were then looted by
“a desperate crowd who seized the load
,” she added, without specifying the exact location of this incident.
According to the UN, famine is
"almost inevitable"
for 2.2 of Gaza's 2.4 million inhabitants.
The situation is particularly critical in the largely ravaged north of the territory where the delivery of aid by land from its main entry point, the town of Rafah in the south, is made difficult by the destruction and fighting. .
The WFP says it is exploring all means of delivering aid to this area but emphasizes that the road is the only way to transport sufficient food to avoid the famine which threatens the population.
Ceasefire needed
An airdrop carried out on Tuesday, in collaboration with the Jordanian Air Force, made it possible to drop six tonnes of food, or enough for 20,000 people, the agency said.
“Paradrops are a solution of last resort and will not prevent famine
,” declared Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the WFP.
“We need entry points into northern Gaza to deliver enough food for half a million people who desperately need it
,” he said.
The US Air Force drops humanitarian aid for residents of Gaza, March 5, 2024. US Central Command via X / REUTERS
Also read: United States: Kamala Harris calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Last week, Carl Skau told the United Nations Security Council that famine was imminent in the northern Gaza Strip if nothing changed.
Hunger there has reached
“catastrophic levels”
, the WFP warned on Tuesday.
“Children are dying from hunger-related illnesses and suffering from severe malnutrition
,” he stressed, saying a ceasefire was urgently needed.