Daily Alert Archives

Gangs and Merchants Sell Food Aid in Gaza

(AP) Wafaa Shurafa - Much of the food aid entering Gaza is being hoarded by gangs and merchants and sold at exorbitant prices. Bags of flour in markets often bear UN logos, while other packaging indicates it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - all originally handed out for free. Mohammed Abu Taha, who lives in a tent with his wife and child near Rafah, said organized gangs of young men are always at the front of crowds when he visits GHF sites. "It's a huge business," he said. A man in his 30s said he had visited GHF sites 40 times since they opened and nearly always came back with food. He sold most of it to merchants or others in order to buy other necessities for his family. Heba Jouda, who has visited the sites many times, said armed men steal aid as people return with it and merchants also offer to buy it. "To get food from the American organization, you have to be strong and fast," she said. The UN's deliveries also often devolve into deadly violence and chaos, with crowds of thousands rapidly overwhelming trucks.
2025-07-31 00:00:00
Full Article