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The limited amount of food aid entering Gaza following nearly 22 months of conflict is often seized by armed groups, looted by gangs, diverted amid chaos, or never reaches the most vulnerable, according to UN agencies, aid organizations, and analysts.
While images of severely malnourished children drew international condemnation, aid has resumed, though it remains critically insufficient according to global relief agencies.
Daily, AFP reporters observe frantic crowds rushing toward food convoys and aid drops conducted by Arab and European air forces. In Al-Zawayda, central Gaza, on Thursday, starving Palestinians scrambled to grab parachuted pallets, jostling and tearing at packages amidst dusty clouds.
“Hunger has driven people to turn on each other. They’re fighting with knives,” said Amir Zaqot, who was seeking aid.
To prevent chaos, World Food Programme (WFP) drivers are instructed to halt before reaching aid sites and let people help themselves—yet these efforts often fall short.
“A truck wheel nearly struck my head, and I was hurt while grabbing a bag,” said a man in the northern Gaza Strip, carrying a bag of flour on his head.
In southern Gaza near Rafah, Mohammad Abu Taha described arriving at dawn with thousands of others waiting for basic supplies like flour, rice, and lentils. Suddenly, gunfire erupted, causing panic, with people rushing and fighting, resulting in bloodshed and casualties.
Since May 27, around 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed while waiting for aid, mostly by Israeli forces, UN reports. Israel denies targeting civilians, claiming gunfire is only warnings when people approach military positions.
Restrictions imposed by Israel on aid delivery—such as denying border permits, slow customs clearance, limited access points, and dangerous routes—have long been condemned by international organizations.
In Zikim, the Israeli military altered loading plans for WFP shipments, forcing convoys to depart prematurely without proper security, according to a senior UN official who requested anonymity.
In Gaza’s southern Kerem Shalom crossing, an NGO official explained that aid reaches warehouses via two routes: one relatively safe, the other plagued by frequent clashes and looting, which is often the only option.
Gangs loot some aid, attacking warehouses and diverting supplies to traders who resell them at inflated prices. Muhammad Shehada of the European Council on Foreign Relations described this as a “Darwinian social experiment,” where the most desperate chase trucks, wait in the sun for hours, and compete fiercely for limited supplies.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) emergency coordinator Jean Guy Vataux added that in Gaza’s capitalist system, corrupt gangs send children and vulnerable populations to take risks at distribution points or during looting, turning these acts into lucrative professions. The resold food often fetches prices exceeding $400 for a 25kg bag of flour in Gaza markets.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of stealing aid meant for civilians, a claim used to justify the total blockade imposed between March and May, and the creation of a private aid organization called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The GHF, backed by Israel and the U.S., now controls most aid distribution, but with only four sites, which the UN calls “death traps.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office alleged that Hamas has stolen aid multiple times by shooting at Palestinians. Yet, senior Israeli military officials told the New York Times in July that they have found no proof of systematic aid theft by Hamas from the UN.
Hamas, weakened and led by decentralized cells following the targeted killing of its senior figures, faces significant internal and external pressures. Aid workers report that during a ceasefire period before the current blockade, local police—including Hamas members—helped secure supplies, but current lawlessness has increased looting and insecurity.
Oxfam’s policy lead Bushra Khalidi emphasizes that Israeli authorities have been repeatedly urged to facilitate the safe passage and protection of aid convoys and warehouses, but these requests have largely been ignored.
Furthermore, Israel is accused of enabling criminal networks within Gaza, allowing them to loot aid and operate with impunity. Israeli and Palestinian media reports mention a group called the Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, engaging in illicit activities in southern Gaza under Israeli control. Statements from Israeli officials acknowledge backing anti-Hamas factions, though without clear attribution.
Experts like Michael Milshtein from Tel Aviv University note that many gang members are involved in drug trafficking and other crimes, with some operations likely coordinated or tolerated by Israeli forces. Humanitarian workers in Gaza caution that much of the illicit activity sustains itself with implicit Israeli complicity.
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