Chaos in the Gaza Strip: Food distribution ends in panic and violence!

Chaos in the Gaza Strip: Food distribution ends in panic and violence!

The chaos in the food distribution in the Gaza Strip has led to a humanitarian crisis that has been going on for weeks. As tagesschau.de reported on Friday, there were tumultuous scenes on Friday when thousands of people near the distribution centers urged food packages. These auxiliary packages, offered by the USA Humanitrian Foundation (GHF) supported by the USA, contain basic foods such as flour, rice, pasta, sugar, salt and tea. The rush was so great that the GHF employees temporarily stopped their work.

above the distribution center there was already a tense atmosphere. The Israeli military threw warning shots to control the crowd, but this led to panic and unrest. According to reports, at least three people were injured, an incident that was sharply criticized by the international community. The Situation escalated when some people tried to loot food packages, which, among other things, led to a deadly event, in which several people were run over, as orf.at reported.

background to the humanitarian crisis

The humanitarian situation in Gaza is catastrophic. According to Human Rights Watch , more than 1.5 million people in the gaza strip are dependent on basic help, while almost 50 % of the population is unemployed. The blockade of relief goods by Israel has further tightened the emergency position of the civilian population. The 8,000 food packages distributed by the GHF are by no means sufficient for the needs of those affected and represent only 462,000 meals.

There are also reports on possible human rights violations on the part of the Israeli military. Hamas has described the distribution mechanism as a failure and part of a rescheduling plan and criticizes that Israel has not presented any evidence of the need for the distribution mechanism. UN representatives emphasize that the current situation is incompatible with humanitarian international law, and require a safe environment and faster permits for relief supplies.

political reactions and international criticism

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted an "interim loss of control", while high -ranking military representatives described the food distribution as "success". This contradicts the reports on the poor humanitarian situation and the injured. US President Joe Biden expressed concerns about the violent clashes and described the incident as "tragic and alarming". At the same time, however, the US government wanted to distance itself from the GHF, which the allegations against it that it was hindered by Hamas blockades.

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned violence in the Gaza Strip and spoke of a "slaughter". It is estimated that more than 30,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the war, including a high number of civilians. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, called for an end to violence and pointed out that the collective penalties against civilians are prohibited according to international law.

The situation in the Gaza Strip remains tense and it is unclear how the situation will develop further. Activists and international observers are calling for careful monitoring and protection of the civilian population, while the humanitarian crisis is becoming increasingly pressing.