The UN Food Program has suspended work in the Gaza Strip

The World Food Program of the United Nations suspends the distribution of food in the Gaza Strip. This was reported by the head of the program, Cindy McCain. The reason was cases of looting and attacks on program employees by residents of the sector.

The program’s statement says that last Sunday, trucks carrying food for distribution to refugees were surrounded by crowds of hungry people at the Wada-Gaza checkpoint, who tried to loot the cargo. They opened fire. On Monday, another convoy of trucks carrying products to the north of the sector was stopped and looted. One of the drivers was beaten. Even where employees manage to distribute products, clashes occur among those who wish to do so, the statement notes. The conditions for the distribution of food aid in Gaza are described in it as “complete chaos and the collapse of public order.”

The UN WFP decided to temporarily suspend the delivery of food aid to the sector, as it cannot ensure the safety of its employees or those who come to receive free products. The department promised that they would look for ways to resume deliveries in a safer way as soon as possible. For this, WFP believes, it is necessary to multiply the volume of food aid, open additional checkpoints at the borders of the sector, stabilize communication and security in the region.

• The UN World Food Program provides humanitarian assistance to approximately 1.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Assistance includes both monetary benefits and direct distribution of free products.
• After the start of the Israeli military operation against the radical group Hamas, recognized as a terrorist group in the USA and the EU, the need for humanitarian aid in the gas sector has grown noticeably, and the opportunities to deliver it have narrowed. According to The Guardian, the amount of aid in the Gaza Strip after the start of Israel’s war against Hamas fell by 80%. International agencies have repeatedly warned that the Gaza Strip is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, there is a direct threat of famine and epidemics.
• Israel launched a ground operation in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 last year. At that time, more than 1,200 people died at the hands of jihadists, and more than 250 were taken hostage and taken to the Gaza Strip.