Gaza Gunmen loot 98 lorries in attack on aid convoy

Armed gunmen attacked and looted about a hundred lorries carrying desperately needed supplies for Palestinians in Gaza over the weekend, the biggest such attack during 13 months of war in the territory and new evidence of the growing power of Gaza's criminal gangs.

- Jason Burke

The convoy, which was transporting thousands of tonnes of food provided by the UN agencies Unrwa and the World Food Programme, was attacked shortly after entering Gaza on Saturday, UN officials and local community leaders said.

Ninety-eight lorries of the 109-strong convoy were looted and some staff were injured, said Louise Wateridge, Unrwa's senior emergency officer. "This highlights the severity of access challenges of bringing aid into southern and central Gaza," she told Reuters.

"The urgency of the crisis cannot be overstated. Without immediate intervention, severe food shortages are set to worsen, further endangering the lives of over 2 million people who depend on humanitarian aid to survive," said Wateridge.

Community leaders in central Gaza said local people had fought back against the looters, who were armed with automatic rifles, and managed to retrieve some of the stolen lorries, which were then returned to the WFP.