Twenty-nine international NGOs reported that the Israeli occupation army encourages the looting of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip by attacking Palestinian police forces trying to secure aid.

“Looting is a recurring problem, as a result of Israel’s targeting of the remaining police force in Gaza, the shortage of basic goods, the lack of roads and the closure of most crossing points, and the desperation of the population leading to these catastrophic conditions,” said a joint report on Friday, including Médecins du Monde, Oxfam and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

The report added that the Israeli army does not prevent the looting of aid trucks and does not prevent armed gangs from extorting money from humanitarian organizations, referring in particular to a report published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last Monday under the title “The Israeli army allows Gaza gangs to loot aid trucks and extort money from their drivers in exchange for protection.”

In their report, the organizations stressed that in some cases when Palestinian police officers “were trying to take action against thieves, they were attacked by Israeli forces.”