At least two killed after crowd rushes UN warehouse in Gaza

Published connected 29/05/2025 - 10:58 GMT+2•Updated 12:51

At slightest 2 group died and others were injured astatine nan UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse, aft a crowd gathered to cod nutrient donations successful Gaza connected Wednesday.

According to reports, hundreds of group pushed to get into nan facility, arsenic an 11-week siege and ongoing humanitarian assistance blockade by Israel person pushed Gaza to nan brink of famine.

Aid seekers could beryllium seen carrying ample bags of flour, each weighing astir 25 kilograms, arsenic they forced their measurement retired of nan building.

A kilo of flour sells for arsenic overmuch arsenic $70 (€62.2), while an full container goes for arsenic overmuch arsenic $500 (€444.2), group connected nan crushed told Euronews.

"Humanitarian needs person spiralled retired of power aft 80 days of complete blockade of each nutrient assistance and different assistance into Gaza," WFP's Middle East and North Africa branch wrote connected X.

"WFP has consistently warned of alarming and deteriorating conditions connected nan ground, and nan risks imposed by limiting humanitarian assistance to quiet group successful hopeless request of assistance," nan organisation added.

It comes conscionable a time aft a crowd of quiet Palestinians overran a caller US-backed assistance distribution hub and IDF troops fired informing shots successful an effort to reconstruct calm, sidesplitting astatine slightest 1 personification and injuring 48 others, according to reports.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, nan group chosen by Israel and backed by nan US successful complaint of distributing nan aid, has been criticised by nan UN and different organisations, which person refused to activity pinch nan scheme.

"This caller strategy is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a argumentation of deprivation by design," caput of nan UN Office for nan Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) successful nan West Bank and Gaza John Whittall told journalists astatine a press briefing connected Wednesday.

"The UN has refused to participate successful this scheme, informing that it is logistically unworkable and violates humanitarian principles by utilizing assistance arsenic a instrumentality successful Israel's broader efforts to depopulate areas of Gaza," he added.

The UN has warned that nan group would not beryllium capable to meet nan demands of feeding much than 2 cardinal group successful nan Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's founding head Jake Wood resigned connected Sunday, citing that it would not beryllium imaginable for nan group to present assistance "while besides strictly adhering to nan humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence."

Israel has justified nan blockade by stating that nan purpose was to forestall Hamas militants from gaining entree to nan assistance and profiting from it, truthful strengthening nan group. The UN has denied this was happening connected a important scale.