DEIR AL-BALAH, GAZA – A harrowing scene unfolded on Wednesday as thousands of desperate Palestinians stormed a United Nations food warehouse in central Gaza, resulting in the deaths of four people amid the territory's worsening humanitarian catastrophe.
Two individuals were reportedly crushed to death in the chaos, while two others died from gunshot wounds as the crowd broke into the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Al-Ghafari warehouse in Deir al-Balah, according to local health authorities. The origin of the gunfire remains unclear, with no confirmation yet on whether Israeli forces, private security personnel, or others opened fire. A nearby Red Cross field hospital confirmed receiving multiple gunshot casualties, including women and children.
Video footage captured scenes of civilians frantically tearing down sections of the warehouse’s metal walls and scrambling over each other to seize flour and food boxes. “Hordes of hungry people broke into WFP’s Al-Ghafari warehouse… in search of food supplies,” the WFP said in a statement, warning of the “alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground.”
“Humanitarian needs have spiraled out of control after 80 days of complete blockade of food assistance and aid into Gaza,” the statement continued. “A massive scale-up in food aid is urgently needed to avert widespread starvation.”
UN officials echoed the gravity of the situation. Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East, compared the trickle of aid reaching Gaza to “a lifeboat after the ship has sunk.” She told the Security Council that many in Gaza have lost all hope amid rising hunger and despair.
The ongoing Israeli blockade, intensified since March, has left the 2.3 million residents of Gaza in a state of near-famine. UN-operated bakeries have shut down due to a shortage of cooking fuel, and basic food items are now priced beyond the reach of ordinary civilians.
The tragic warehouse incident follows another deadly episode on Tuesday, where Israeli forces allegedly opened fire at a food distribution point in southern Gaza, killing at least one civilian and injuring 48 others. Witnesses claim gunfire erupted after large crowds breached the perimeter of a newly established aid centre operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organisation authorized by Israel to distribute aid outside traditional UN mechanisms.
Amid the chaos, video showed civilians—including children—fleeing under gunfire as fences collapsed around them. Despite claims from the Israeli military that only “warning shots” were fired, the UN’s human rights office confirmed that most injuries were due to live ammunition.
The GHF has denied responsibility, stating, “No shots were fired at Palestinian crowds and there were no casualties.” However, satellite imagery reviewed by The Guardian confirms that the incident took place within a designated evacuation zone marked by the Israel Defense Forces.
Recent images show a fortified clearing set up as a distribution site with IDF vehicles, aid trucks, and makeshift fencing. Inside the clearing, food packages—marked with “GHF” labels—contained essentials like oil, pasta, beans, sugar, and flour. Many families were seen making off with whatever supplies they could carry, some using donkey carts to transport aid.
Israel maintains that the blockade is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid for militant use, a claim Hamas denies. Yet humanitarian groups, including the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), have rejected the alternative distribution model. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini criticised the GHF system as inefficient and politically motivated, arguing it diverts attention from “atrocities” and undermines experienced humanitarian operations.
“We already have an aid distribution system that is fit for purpose,” Lazzarini stated. “This is not the time to experiment. People are starving.”
A recent assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warns that half a million Gazans face imminent starvation. Of them, an estimated 71,000 children under five are acutely malnourished, with more than 14,000 expected to develop severe complications if aid does not reach them soon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a recent airstrike had killed Mohammed Sinwar, the Hamas commander in Gaza, marking a significant development in Israel’s broader military campaign. Tuesday also marked 600 days since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel, during which hostages were taken—a key factor behind the ongoing blockade and military actions.
Despite mounting international pressure, including calls from major NGOs like ActionAid, aid delivery remains erratic and insufficient. In a recent joint statement, several humanitarian organisations warned: “Aid that is used to mask ongoing violence is not aid—it is humanitarian cover for a military strategy of control and dispossession.”
As Gaza teeters on the brink of famine, the scenes from this week underscore a chilling reality: the breakdown of basic humanitarian norms, the collapse of civil order, and the steep human cost of prolonged siege.
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