Damning report says gangs in Gaza looting UN aid under 'Israeli protection'

Armed gangs in Gaza looting aid trucks are getting Israeli military support and sometimes Israeli army even provides them protection, according to an internal UN memo obtained by The Washington Post.

The damning report exposes how organised gangs are looting vital aid shipments, undermining the already precarious relief efforts in the besieged enclave where Israeli genocide is under way for the last 412 days.

The memo indicates that some of the criminal groups operate with the "passive, if not active" support of the Israeli military. The document cited by the Washington Post states that one gang leader established a "military-like compound" in an area under strict Israeli invasion.

Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Tuesday he was unaware of the UN memo, but that the allegation was "fairly alarming" if true.

"The idea that the Israeli forces may be allowing looters or not doing enough to prevent it is frankly, fairly alarming, given the responsibilities of Israel as the occupying power to ensure that humanitarian aid is distributed safely," he said.

Despite numerous requests from aid organisations for better protection of convoys and safer routes, Israel has denied these appeals, leaving convoys vulnerable to attack.

The Post reports that Israeli army, despite being in close proximity, have often failed to intervene during looting incidents.

One of the most notorious areas for this criminal activity is the region surrounding Karem Abu Salem crossing, the primary entry point for aid into southern Gaza. Aid workers, transport companies, and local witnesses describe the gangs as heavily armed and increasingly violent.

Many of the attackers are believed to be linked to powerful local crime families that had previously engaged in illicit activities like cigarette smuggling, but have now expanded into looting vital supplies.

The looting of crucial aid under the nose of Israeli soldiers has become a major headache for aid groups as well as the Palestinian authorities.

Half the aid entering Gaza stolen

As the violence escalates, it has become clear that the theft of aid has moved beyond desperate civilians and is now a well-organised enterprise.

"Looting has become the biggest challenge to aid distribution," an aid worker is quoted by the Post as saying.

The scale of the looting has reached such proportions that it is now hindering the delivery of life-saving food and medicine. Reports from the UN suggest that nearly half of the aid entering Gaza is stolen.

Despite the growing calls for intervention, Israel's response has been to deny that it is complicit in the looting, asserting that its military is taking "targeted countermeasures" against the criminals.

However, aid workers say the Israeli army has largely stood by while the attacks take place, often failing to intervene when looting is in full swing.

One recent attack involved a convoy of 109 trucks carrying much-needed food aid, of which 98 were ransacked by looters. The trucks were shot at, and one driver was held hostage for several hours, as the gangs pillaged the supplies.

At least 20 gang members accused of stealing humanitarian aid were killed in clashes with Gaza's police forces on Monday, Hamas resistance group said in a statement. Anyone caught taking part in similar looting would be treated with "an iron fist", it said.

The looting is not just a matter of criminals taking advantage of a chaotic situation. It has become a major obstacle in the fight against Gaza's looming famine.

The UN recently warned that food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels, with 2.4 million people, including many displaced by the war, at risk of starvation.

'Flood the enclave with aid'

With the situation continuing to be dire, aid workers and local officials are calling for a comprehensive approach to address both the looting and the broader humanitarian crisis.

"The only way to truly address Gaza’s humanitarian crisis would be to flood the enclave with aid and commercial supplies — undercutting the price gouging that fuels the looting," said Janti Soeripto, CEO of Save the Children.

"A lot of the disorder goes away when you actually get humanitarian access," she said.

Last week, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli military was allowing armed gangs to loot aid convoys and to extort protection money from aid groups and truck drivers.

"I saw one Israeli tank, and an armed gang member with a Kalashnikov [rifle] just 100 metres [around 325 feet] from it," a senior official from one organisation working in Gaza told Haaretz.

"The armed men beat the drivers and take all the food if they aren't paid [protection money]."