Gazans say ‘strongest and most aggressive’ armed groups controlling aid

Residents paint picture of chaos after Israel allowed aid trucks in through 'dangerous routes'

Palestinians near an aid distribution point in Zikim, northern Gaza. EPA

The Israeli government has publicised the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including dozens of lorries, after starving the population for months.

However, despite claims of a humanitarian truce and increased aid flow, voices in Gaza paint a picture of chaos, deception and deepening hunger. One displaced resident from Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said he and thousands of others gathered after hearing lorries would be arriving, but were surprised by others looting them.

“By noon, tens of thousands were there. We waited until night. The trucks came, but there was no security,” he told The National. “I personally saw around 30 trucks looted in front of my eyes.”

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He described the scenes as desperate and chaotic. With no official distribution system, “the strongest and most aggressive” groups managed to take control of the aid. He added that he received no aid himself. His brother managed to bring back a few items, but most supplies, he said, were stolen or hoarded by armed groups.

On Monday, Israel claimed that more than 120 lorryloads of food aid were distributed by the UN and aid agencies in Gaza on the first day of a partial pause in fighting. UN agencies did not confirm the amount of aid.

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According to World Food Programme calculations, Gaza needs around 500 to 600 aid lorries a day − or 1,000 to 1,500 daily at peak need − to prevent famine. The WFP said a third of the population of Gaza had not eaten for days, and 470,000 were “enduring famine-like conditions”.

Gaza's hospitals have reported 14 new deaths from starvation and malnutrition in the enclave in the past 24 hours, local health authorities announced. This takes the death toll from starvation and malnutrition to 147, including 88 children, according to the same source.

The UAE and Jordan airlifted aid supplies into Gaza for a second day running on Monday as conditions in the strip deteriorate. The humanitarian air drops are taking place over “isolated areas” of Gaza, with a focus on territory that cannot be reached by land due to the conflict, state news agency Wam reported.

The Jordanian armed forces said they carried out two new air drops into Gaza using C-130 aircraft, carrying 17 tonnes of “food and basic necessities”. Israel says it has conducted air drops of its own as it comes under massive pressure to ease Gaza's humanitarian plight.

Egypt's President Abdel Fatteh El Sisi made a “special appeal” to US President Donald Trump to “exert all efforts to end the war and deliver aid.” In a speech he said Egypt was working to ensure the entry of the largest possible volume of aid into Gaza.

Unsecured areas

Mahmoud Al Sharif, a community activist in Gaza, criticised what he called a “performance” orchestrated for international media. While Israel declared a temporary humanitarian pause, he noted that the violence on the ground never stopped.

“The Israeli army allowed the trucks in through dangerous routes, knowing they’d be looted. Their aircraft even targeted youth trying to secure the aid,” he added. The National was unable to verify this claim with independent sources.

Rami Abdu, director of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, said the recent events were part of a calculated propaganda effort. “Israel launched a massive media campaign, showing aid trucks entering through Kerem Shalom, to suggest the crisis is easing. But this is deception,” Mr Abdu said.

“Only a small number of trucks entered, and they were left in unsecured areas, deliberately enabling their looting.” According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, 73 aid lorries entered the territory on Sunday.

Displaced Palestinians who have not received humanitarian aid pick through leftover food. Reuters

The World Health Organisation warned on Sunday that malnutrition was reaching “alarming levels” in Gaza. It said that of the 74 recorded malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 had occurred in July − including 24 children aged under five, one child older than five and 38 adults.

Despite that, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied that starvation is happening in the Palestinian territory, which has been under Israeli bombardment for more than 21 months. “There is no policy of starvation in Gaza and there is no starvation in Gaza,” he claimed in a speech.

At least 41 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip since the early hours of Monday, medical sources have said. Nine people seeking aid were among the dead, the official news agency Wafa reported.

Hamas wants to continue with ceasefire negotiations only if mediators can guarantee a positive outcome, a senior official said on Monday. “The core issue is the cessation of aggression, which Netanyahu refuses to address in the negotiations,” said Mahmoud Taha, a Hamas official in Beirut.