Thousands Loot Aid Warehouses in Gaza as Desperation Grows in War-Torn Strip

Thousands of desperate Gazans broke into warehouses containing much-needed humanitarian aid, officials said Sunday, after Israel warned civilians that the Northern portion of the war-torn strip is now a "battlefield", widening its ground campaign to root out Hamas, weeks after the terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack killed 1400 Israelis.

The Associated Press reported that items such as flour and basic hygiene products were looted from the warehouses, as the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants has raged on for three weeks.

After Hamas militants orchestrated a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, Israel in retaliation promised a swift and deadly response and declared a “total siege” of Gaza, launching airstrikes that have so far killed at least 7,000 people in the area. 

That retaliation effort consisted, in part, of cutting off power to Gaza, making it difficult to run essential services like hospitals. As a result, Gazans have been desperately seeking aid. Last week, trucks filled with coffins, medicine, and food were lined up ready to enter Gaza after the Rafah Crossing, the crossing point between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, briefly opened. 

The warehouses that were looted on Sunday, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, contained some of that aid. 

Thomas White, UNRWA’s Gaza director, called the break-ins “a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza. People are scared, frustrated and desperate,” he said, per the AP.

On Saturday, Israeli fighter jets dispersed leaflets over Gaza City declaring the area a "battlefield" as Israeli soldiers continue their ongoing aerial assault. 
“To the residents of the Gaza Strip: The Gaza governorate (Gaza City) has become a battlefield," the leaflets read, as The Messenger previously reported. "Shelters in northern Gaza and Gaza governorate are not safe."