UN convoy carrying supplies to Gaza “violently looted”: UN agency

GAZA, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — A 109-truck UN convoy carrying food supplies was “violently looted” on Saturday after entering Gaza, the UN agency for Palestine refugees said on Monday.
Most of the trucks, 97 in total, were lost and drivers were forced at gunpoint to unload aid, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said on the social media platform X.
“The Israeli authorities continue to disregard their legal obligations under international law to ensure the population’s basic needs are met and to facilitate the safe delivery of aid. Such responsibilities continue when trucks enter the Gaza Strip, until people are reached with essential assistance,” the UNRWA said.
The UN agency added that due to critical shortages of flour, all eight UN-supported bakeries in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis have been operating at diminished capacity for weeks, and many have been forced to shut down entirely.
“Without immediate intervention, severe food shortages are set to worsen, further endangering the lives of over 2 million people who depend on humanitarian aid to survive,” it added. ■