Four die in Gaza crowd chaos at UN food depot

Four people have died as hundreds of Palestinians burst into a UN warehouse in Gaza, tearing away sections of the building's metal walls in a desperate attempt to find food.

- Lorenzo Tondo

Two people were fatally crushed and two others died of gunshot wounds after the crowd forced its way into the World Food Programme warehouse in central Gaza yesterday afternoon, health officials said.

It was not immediately clear if Israeli forces, private contractors or others had opened fire. A Red Cross field hospital said injuries from the scene included women and children with gunshot wounds.

Scores of people could be seen struggling through the crowd carrying large bags of flour as others pushed to get inside the warehouse, the Associated Press reported.

A UN envoy compared the limited aid being allowed into Gaza to "a lifeboat after the ship has sunk". Sigrid Kaag, the acting special coordinator for the Middle East, told the UN security council that people facing famine in Gaza "have lost hope".

The chaotic scenes came as Gaza health officials said at least one civilian was killed and 48 injured on a previous incident on Tuesday at a food distribution point in the south of the territory. Israeli troops opened fire at the newly established site as a large crowd gathered.

Witnesses said Israeli forces started shooting after crowds of Palestinians broke through the fences around the centre managed by a USbacked group, chosen by Israel to ship food into Gaza, which lost control of its distribution site.

An Israeli military helicopter was seen firing flares and bursts of gunfire were heard in the distance. In one video, a large crowd of panicked civilians, including women and children, could be seen running away, trampling the fencing.

Further video footage showed hundreds of Palestinians queuing alongside barbed-wire fences shortly before the incident. As the food distribution began, thousands of starving Palestinians rushed into the site, causing at least two of the fences at the entrance to collapse quickly.