Hundreds starving in Gaza: UN reports deadly incident

Hundreds starving in Gaza: UN reports deadly incident

A hungry crowd of Palestinians descended on a United Nations warehouse on Wednesday Central Gaza Strip invaded, resulting in at least two deaths and several injuries. The famine in the Gaza Strip is getting worse.

Tragic event at the WFP warehouse

“Hordes of hungry people have invaded the WFP warehouse in Al-Ghafari, Deir Al-Balah, in search of food supplies that were stored for distribution,” the World Food Program (WFP) said. “Initial reports indicate that two people died and several were injured.”

Unclear circumstances of injuries and deaths

The exact causes of the deaths and injuries are unclear. The WFP said it was reviewing the exact circumstances and stressed that the tragedy was due to the "alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground" that are directly linked to the blockade of humanitarian aid.

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza

Similar videos and photos obtained by CNN show hundreds of people inside the warehouse grabbing whatever food they can find. A man with a bloody face holds a sack of flour.

The incident at the WFP camp underscores the accelerating humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged area. An 11 week Israeli blockade Humanitarian aid has driven Gaza's population of more than 2 million Palestinians into hunger, with the first humanitarian aid flowing back into the besieged area last week.

The urgency of emergency aid

“Humanitarian needs are out of control after 80 days of a complete blockade of all food aid and other support to Gaza,” the UN agency said.

The warehouse contained vital supplies, including flour, intended for systematic aid distribution, which was now compromised by this desperate act.

“WFP has consistently warned of the alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground and highlighted the risks posed by limiting humanitarian assistance to starving people in desperate situations,” the agency continued. "Gaza urgently needs an expansion of food aid. This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve."

Responses to the humanitarian crisis

UNRWA's public information office in Gaza called the incident at the WFP camp an "unfortunate incident" and noted: "Unfortunately, people are once again being forced to take desperate measures as a result of the ongoing Israeli blockade on access to food and supplies in the Gaza Strip."

Wednesday's robbery came a day after Mayhem at an aid distribution site in Gaza which was run by a controversial US-backed group. Thousands of desperate Palestinians crowded to receive food aid while Israeli troops fired warning shots in the air and the U.S. contractors monitoring the site briefly withdrew.

Palestinian health officials reported that one person was killed and 48 others were injured in Tuesday's incident.