Lying in the sun, on the Israel-Gaza border, just miles from starving Palestinian families, there are hundreds of pallets of food – from packets of rice to bunches of bananas.Although for the past week Israel’s military has been observing a daytime pause in fighting on a key stretch of road just beyond the main Kerem Shalom crossing point, humanitarian agencies say they are still struggling to get vital aid into southern Gaza.They blame growing lawlessness for making it too dangerous to pick up and move goods.“The looting has become quite profound,” says Georgios Petropoulos, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza.

He estimates that last Tuesday, three-quarters of the goods on board lorries entering from the crossing were stolen.UN officials say the vehicles are systematically attacked and stopped by armed gangs, particularly those smuggling cigarettes, which are sold on the black market in Gaza for exorbitant amounts.

These came about as a result of South Africa’s case alleging that Israel was violating the Genocide Convention of 1948, an accusation it strongly denies.The UN and relief groups rebut claims that they are understaffed or inefficient, pointing to the difficulties of operating in an active war zone.

At the same time, aid organisations lost access to important storage and distribution centres.Ever since Israeli forces took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing, Egypt has prohibited its use, saying it is no longer safe for humanitarian work.

However, a lot of items they bring in are unaffordable for most Gazans.Israel has opened up three other crossings into Gaza, which all provide aid to the northern part of the strip, where the UN has warned of the highest risk of famine.International airdrops have now largely stopped but the maritime corridor from Cyprus began to operate again on Thursday.

“It’s pretty clear there’s a problem and if it were only logistical, it could be solved,” he suggests.“We have to find a system that works and is based on good faith and that ultimately assumes some trust towards the United Nations,” says Georgios Petropoulos from OCHA.Back in Khan Younis, men scrambling to buy the basics for their families express their frustration, feeling trapped and exhausted.“There is no situation more difficult than this,” says Mahmoud al-Biss.

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