Four killed after hundreds of starved Palestinians storm UN warehouse as aid trickles into Gaza

It comes a day after Israeli forces opened fire near thousands of Palestinians after the crowd overwhelmed an aid centre.

At least two people died and others were injured at the UN World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse, after a crowd gathered to collect food donations in Gaza on Wednesday.According to reports, hundreds of people pushed to get into the facility, as an 11-week siege and ongoing humanitarian aid blockade by Israel have pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. Aid seekers could be seen carrying large bags of flour, each weighing around 25 kilograms, as they forced their way out of the building. A kilo of flour sells for as much as $70 (€62.2), while an entire bag goes for as much as $500 (€444.2), people on the ground told Euronews. "Humanitarian needs have spiralled out of control after 80 days of complete blockade of all food assistance and other aid into Gaza," WFP's Middle East and North Africa branch wrote on X. "WFP has consistently warned of alarming and deteriorating conditions on the ground, and the risks imposed by limiting humanitarian aid to hungry people in desperate need of assistance," the organisation added. It comes just a day after Israeli troops lost control over a crowd of Palestinians at a US-backed aid distribution hub, and opened fire near them in an effort to regain control, killing at least one and injuring some 48 people, according to reports.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the group chosen by Israel and backed by the US in charge of distributing the aid, has been criticised by the UN and other organisations, which have refused to work with the scheme."This new scheme is surveillance-based rationing that legitimises a policy of deprivation by design," head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the West Bank and Gaza John Whittall told journalists at a press briefing on Wednesday. "The UN has refused to participate in this scheme, warning that it is logistically unworkable and violates humanitarian principles by using aid as a tool in Israel's broader efforts to depopulate areas of Gaza," he added.The UN has warned that the group would not be able to meet the demands of feeding more than 2 million people in the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's founding director Jake Wood resigned on Sunday, citing that it would not be possible for the group to deliver aid "while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence."Israel has justified the blockade by stating that the aim was to prevent Hamas militants from gaining access to the aid and profiting from it, therefore strengthening the group. The UN has denied this was happening on a significant scale.