Israel allows armed gangs to loot aid trucks in Gaza, local authorities say

By Ahmed Asmar
ANKARA (AA) – Palestinian authorities accused the Israeli army on Tuesday of allowing armed gangs to loot aid trucks in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“The army allows armed gangs to steal aid trucks and goods and impose fees,” Ismail Thawabteh, who heads Gaza’s government media office, told Anadolu.
He said Israeli forces prevent Palestinian police officers and private security companies from securing the aid trucks and threaten to target them.
“This strategy serves the (Israeli) deliberate policy of starvation against the Palestinians, and confirms that the goal is to prevent the delivery of aid,” he added.
Several Palestinian policemen and security guards were killed in Israeli attacks while guarding aid trucks in Gaza.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “intolerable” looming famine in the Palestinian enclave.
"Alarmed by today’s IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) report findings that high displacement and restrictions on humanitarian aid flows mean people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of hunger," Guterres wrote on X.
Israel has continued its devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023. The onslaught has killed more than 43,600 victims and rendered the enclave almost uninhabitable.
Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its deadly war on Gaza.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar