In Gaza, the simple act of searching for food can now be fatal. Since the launch of a new Israeli-backed aid system last month, local health officials report that hundreds of Palestinians have been killed near distribution points, especially in southern Gaza.
The new aid centers, operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, have been described as “death traps” by Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations humanitarian office.
“Gaza is the hungriest place on earth,” Laerke said. “Whatever little we manage to bring in is immediately swarmed and plundered. That’s the level of desperation we’re dealing with.”
Chaos has also gripped other relief operations. In northern Gaza, where only a trickle of humanitarian aid manages to get through, U.N. and international aid trucks are being ransacked within minutes of entry, often before they can reach designated drop-off sites, according to eyewitnesses. Flour, rice, and basic supplies vanish in moments as starving residents descend on the convoys.
The new aid system, which consists of just a few operational hubs in the south, was established after Israel halted most aid deliveries for nearly three months, accusing Hamas of seizing humanitarian supplies. The U.S. has pledged $30 million to support the effort through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, though critics argue it has done little to stabilize the worsening crisis.
Elsewhere: In a stark reminder of overlapping global conflicts, five members of a Ukrainian family were killed in Israel by an Iranian missile strike — a tragic convergence of two separate wars.
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