As Israel expanded its offensive in the Gaza Strip, thousands of people broke into aid workhouses in the beleaguered Gaza Strip to loot flour and basic hygiene products as the territory ran out of essential supplies in the midst of heavy Israeli bombardment.

This marks the growing frustration among Palestinians and the breakdown of public order three weeks into the war between Israel and Hamas that has been going on for more than three weeks. 

UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) Gaza director Thomas White said that the breakdown of public order was a “worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza, and that people are scared, frustrated and desperate.”

UNRWA spokesperson Juliette Touma said that crowds of Palestinians broke into four facilities on Saturday. However, 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.

Israel has allowed only a small trickle of aid to enter from Egypt, some of which was stored in one of the warehouses that was broken into, UNRWA said. Fuel has become a critically-needed source after aid organisation ran out, relying on donations from residents.

Additionally, residents said that Israeli airstrikes overnight hit areas near Gaza’s largest hospital Shifa and blocked many roads leading to it. Israel accuses Hamas of having a secret command post beneath the hospital, without providing much evidence.

Israel attacks continue

The army said it had struck over 450 militant targets over the last 24 hours, including Hamas command centers, observation posts and anti-tank missile launching positions. An Israeli airstrike hit a two-story house in the southern city of Khan Younis on Sunday, killing at least 13 people, including 10 from one family.

As the Israel-Hamas war entered its 23rd day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the military had advanced into the ‘second stage’ of the conflict by sending ground forces into Gaza. He rejected calls for a ceasefire, despite international pressure, and said that his country was determined to bring back the over 200 hostages captured by Hamas militants during their brutal attack on October 7.

This comes after the Gaza Strip plunged into a near-blackout of information with internet and communications knocked out as Israeli forces stepped up bombardment and artillery strikes. Over 7,000 people have been killed in the relentless Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and the death count of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached 110.

Hamas’ top leader in Gaza, Yehia Sinwar, said Palestinian militants “are ready immediately” to release all hostages if Israel releases all of the thousands of Palestinians held in its prisons. Daniel Hagari, an Israeli military spokesman, dismissed the offer as “psychological terror”.

Casualties on both sides are expected to rise sharply after the ground invasion as Israeli forces and Palestinian militants battle in dense residential areas.

More than 1.4 million people across Gaza have fled their homes, nearly half crowding into UN schools and shelters, following repeated warnings by the Israeli military that they would be in danger if they remained in northern Gaza.

Gaza’s sole power plant shut down shortly after the start of the war, and Israel has allowed no fuel to enter, saying Hamas would use it for military purposes.

(with AP inputs)

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