The delivery of life-saving aid across Gaza "is grinding to a halt" amid a surge in armed looting targeting humanitarian convoys, the senior aid official in the region said on Thursday .
Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory Muhannad Hadi said that the survival of two million people now "hangs in the balance".
Bakeries are closing rapidly for lack of flour or fuel to operate power generators and for over six weeks, the Israeli authorities have preventing all commercial imports from entering the Strip.
Looting surge
"At the same time, a surge in armed looting targeting humanitarian convoys and truck drivers, fuelled by the breakdown in public order and safety, has further crippled our ability to collect supplies from border areas and deliver critical aid," he said.
Pushed to the brink, civilians lack access to essential support they desperately need, while so far this year UN trucks have been looted 75 times - including 15 such attacks since 4 November alone - while looters have broken into UN facilities on 34 occasions.
"Just last week, one driver was shot in the head and hospitalized, along with another truck driver", Mr. Hadi recounted. "This Saturday, no less than 98 trucks were looted in a single attack with trucks being damaged or stolen."
He added that although agencies remain committed to staying and delivering, "our ability to do so is increasingly being called into question."
It is essential to reestablish the rule of law to allow safe and unimpeded access, he added.
