The United Nations noted the growing desperation and the breakdown of public order, following the war between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers.

Over the weekend, tanks and infantry were pushed into Gaza by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he announced a “second stage” in the war.

UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, representative Thomas White said, as quoted by AP, “The warehouse break-ins were a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza. People are scared, frustrated, and desperate.”

According to details, the UNRWA provides basic services to hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza. It added hospitals are struggling to keep emergency generators running to operate incubators and other life-saving equipment.

Meanwhile, UNRWA said that Israel has allowed only a small trickle of aid to enter from Egypt, adding, that a few were stored in one of the warehouses that was broken into.

Juliette Touma, a spokesperson for the agency, said the crowds broke into four facilities on Saturday. She added the warehouses did not contain any fuel, which has been in critically short supply since Israel cut off all shipments after the start of the war.

‘Evacuate’

More than a week ago, Israel had ordered the Palestinian Red Crescent, another Gaza City hospital, to evacuate. The hospital had said that the Israeli airstrikes had hit as close as 50 meters (yards) from the Al-Quds Hospital, where 12,000 people are sheltering.

ALSO READ: Israel-Gaza war: Israel PM Netanyahu blames security officials, Army intel for Hamas attack, says ‘no warning given’

Recently, the Israeli army released computer-generated images showing what it said were Hamas installations in and around Shifa Hospital, however, it has not substantiated them.

Death toll:

On Saturday, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza rose to just over 7,700 people since the war began, including 377 deaths reported since late Friday, said the Gaza Health Ministry, adding most of those killed are women and minors.

According to the Health Ministry, an estimated 1,700 people remain trapped beneath the rubble.

Apart from this, data says that over 1.4 million people across Gaza have fled their homes and most of them crowded into UN schools and shelters.

With agency inputs.

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Updated: 29 Oct 2023, 06:21 PM IST