The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) has said on Sunday that thousands of Gazans have raided warehouses for “basic survival items” such as flour.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said in a statement, “This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza.”

Aid supplies into the Gaza Strip have been severely limited as Israel are constantly bombing the territory day and night in response to the deadly Hamas attack in southern Israel on 7 October which killed 1,400 civilians and took more than 200 hostages.

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UNWRA said, “Supplies on the market are running out while the humanitarian aid coming into the Gaza Strip on trucks from Egypt is insufficient.”

They added, “The needs of the communities are immense, if only for basic survival, while the aid we receive is meagre and inconsistent.”

The UNWRA chief added, “The current system of convoys is geared to fail.

“Very few trucks, slow processes, strict inspections, supplies that do not match the requirements of UNRWA and the other aid organisations, and mostly the ongoing ban on fuel, are all a recipe for a failed system.”

On Sunday the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres repeated his appeals to agree on a ceasefire to end the ongoing “nightmare” the Palestinians are going through.

He added, “The situation in Gaza is growing more desperate by the hour.

“I regret that instead of a critically needed humanitarian pause, supported by the international community, Israel has intensified its military operations.”