Daijiworld Media Network- Gaza

Gaza, May 7: A grave humanitarian crisis is spiralling out of control in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, where reports of looting, violence, and theft have surged in recent weeks, as starving families battle to survive amid a breakdown of law and order.

Aid workers and local residents paint a picture of total collapse — where armed groups raid food warehouses, soup kitchens are stripped bare, and even cooking pots and solar chargers are looted in broad daylight. The two-month-long Israeli blockade has left over two million Palestinians with virtually no access to basic essentials, with medical officials warning of an alarming rise in acute malnutrition.

“By the time a famine is officially declared, it will be too late,” a humanitarian official warned. “What we are seeing now is a desperate population pushed to the edge.”

In Gaza City, the situation is particularly dire. Armed gangs have targeted at least three bakeries and stormed soup kitchens in search of flour and food. At one distribution center, NGO workers were held at knifepoint, while another warehouse run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (Unrwa) was breached by thousands who looted medicines and supplies.

“Looting is a direct result of prolonged and unbearable deprivation,” said Louise Wateridge, a senior emergency officer at Unrwa.

Civilians have been caught in the crossfire of violent skirmishes between looters and local guards. Anas Raafat, a 25-year-old lawyer, said his family lay flat on the floor for over two hours as gunmen exchanged fire near their home. “By a miracle, none of us were hit,” he said.

The violence has left many in constant fear. “We don’t sleep at night,” said Mari Al Radea, 46, who fled Beit Lahiya with her nine children and now lives in a nylon tent in Gaza City. “Tents around us are robbed constantly. We don’t even report it — there is no police, no security.”

With no fuel, food stocks exhausted, and community kitchens shutting down, survival has become a daily struggle. During a recent attack, a woman searching for her son found him wounded by gunfire as chaos engulfed a humanitarian site. “She screamed for help, but people were too hungry to stop,” said witness Ghadir Rajab.

The interior ministry of Hamas, which governs Gaza, said it had executed six people and wounded 13 others in recent days in an attempt to quell looting. A curfew was also imposed in parts of Gaza City.

Israel, meanwhile, has announced plans to ease the blockade and introduce a new aid distribution scheme involving private contractors and military protection. But aid officials have rejected the proposal as dangerous and potentially illegal under international law.

As Gaza teeters on the brink, the international community faces mounting pressure to act swiftly before the humanitarian collapse becomes irreversible.