Fights are erupting over dwindling supplies inside Gaza as drones reportedly attacked a vessel carrying aid into the territory on Friday, marking exactly two months since Israel imposed a total blockade on supplies into the enclave.
Since March 2, Israel has completely cut off all supplies to the 2.3 million residents of the Gaza Strip, and food stockpiled during a ceasefire at the start of the year has all but run out.
It is the longest such closure the Gaza Strip has ever faced. Palestinian residents and aid officials said at least five incidents of looting took place across the enclave on Wednesday.
Olga Cherevko, an aid worker with the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) in Gaza City, said that inter-communal violence over supplies had intensified.
She told reporters she witnessed one such fight on Friday.
“Supplies are becoming depleted while the war rages on. Food stocks have now mainly run out,” she told a press conference in Geneva via video link.
“Water access has become impossible. In fact, as I speak to you, just below, downstairs from this building, people are fighting for water. There’s a water truck that has just arrived, and people are killing each other over water.”
Some aid groups say they have already run out of food stocks in the past week and community kitchens are at risk of closure. The Red Cross said the humanitarian response in Gaza was on the verge of “total collapse.”
Israel has previously denied that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis and says there is still enough aid to sustain the population.
Cherevko said hungry people were scavenging in mounds of waste for “anything that would help them survive.”
“I am seeing children and I’m seeing elderly people rummaging through these piles of trash, not only in search of things to burn, but also things to eat daily,” she said.
Drones strike ship carrying aid to Gaza
Drones attacked a vessel carrying aid to Gaza while it was in international waters off Malta on Friday, the group organizing the shipment said. A fire broke out but was brought under control, according to authorities.
A nearby tugboat responded to a distress call from the Conscience, which was carrying 12 crew members and four civilians, Malta’s government said, adding that those aboard refused to leave their ship. The group was safe and no injuries were reported, it said.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition accused Israel of attacking its ship. It did not provide evidence of that or that the fire was caused by drones, but in a video it shared, an explosion can be heard. Another video showed a fire blazing.
The Israeli army didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Israel says the blockade is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages it took during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict. Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.
In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed more than 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. Israel’s bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless.