Aid warehouse break-ins worrying sign: UNRWA official

The aid warehouse break-ins were “a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza”, said Thomas White, Gaza director for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. “People are scared, frustrated and desperate.”

UNRWA provides basic services to hundreds of thousands of people. Spokesperson Juliette Touma said the crowds broke into four facilities on Saturday. She said the warehouses did not contain any fuel, which has been in critically short supply since Israel cut off all shipments after the start of the war. Israel says Hamas would use it for military purposes.

One warehouse held 80 tons of food, the UN World Food Program said. It emphasised that at least 40 of its trucks need to cross into Gaza daily just to meet growing food needs. (AP)