Palestinian security forces on Monday killed at least 20 members of an organized gang accused of looting aid trucks in the southern Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the Interior Ministry in Gaza. The ambush by local security forces came two days after nearly 100 trucks were violently looted after crossing into southern Gaza in one of the biggest raids of its kind since the start of the war.
For over a year, Israel has used starvation as a weapon of war, restricting aid to Palestinians in Gaza to such a degree that a UN-backed panel last week issued an alert, warning of “an imminent and substantial likelihood of famine” across the enclave. The trickle of goods that are allowed in are being increasingly targeted by armed criminal groups, who either force truck convoys to pay exorbitant extortion fees or simply rob the aid. Much of this is facilitated by the Israeli military, who have systematically targeted Palestinian security forces charged with protecting the convoys, and then have allowed armed gunmen to attack aid convoys in areas under its control. ….more
