Desperate Race for Food in Gaza: Looting and Chaos Engulf Sahaba Market
GAZA CITY – On May 29, 2025, the Al-Sahaba Market in Gaza City descended into chaos as desperate crowds stormed stalls in a frantic scramble for food, driven by acute hunger amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. The incident, reported widely on X, reflects a broader surge in looting, fights, and thefts across Gaza, fueled by a near-total Israeli blockade that has slashed aid deliveries and pushed the enclave’s 2.3 million residents to the brink of famine.
Witnesses described hundreds of Palestinians, many displaced and starving, rushing market stalls to seize scarce supplies like flour, canned goods, and bread. “People were shoving, screaming, grabbing anything they could,” said Shaban, an engineer displaced from Gaza City to Deir al-Balah, who saw the chaos unfold. “Hunger has blinded them.” Armed gangs, exploiting the breakdown in law and order, clashed with shop security, with gunfire reported near the market, echoing similar incidents at aid warehouses and community kitchens. One woman searching for her son found him shot in the shoulder amid the melee, her cries for help ignored as looters focused on stealing.
The unrest at Al-Sahaba follows a pattern of escalating violence over food. Since Israel imposed a complete blockade on March 2, 2025, aid deliveries have plummeted to an average of 88 trucks per day, compared to 500–600 before the war, according to the United Nations. On May 28, a UN World Food Programme warehouse was looted, with two deaths and several injuries reported, as crowds breached the facility in search of food and water. The UAE’s Gallant Knight 3 aid campaign blamed Israel’s insistence on unsafe routes for a similar attack on 30 trucks in southern Gaza, where looters stole most of the cargo. A bag of flour, once $8, now costs up to $200 on the black market, with spoiled flour selling for 30–40 times its usual price.
The collapse of civil order stems partly from Israel’s targeting of Hamas-run police who once guarded aid convoys, leaving a vacuum filled by armed gangs. Hamas, struggling to maintain control, executed six suspected looters and shot 13 others in the legs on May 24–25, imposing a curfew in Gaza City to curb theft. However, aid groups argue Israel’s blockade and military oversight of routes like Kerem Shalom, where looting occurs under IDF surveillance, exacerbate the crisis. A UN memo obtained by The Washington Post suggested gangs “may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence” from Israeli forces, a claim Israel denies, accusing Hamas of diverting aid.
Residents like Mari Al Radea, living in a tent with her nine children, described constant fear: “We take turns sleeping to guard against theft. Bullets fly near us during clashes over food.” Community kitchens, once lifelines, are closing due to looted supplies, with pots and pans stolen alongside food. The UN warns that acute malnutrition among children is worsening, and famine conditions may already exist in northern Gaza, where no aid trucks have reached recently.
This desperate race for food at Al-Sahaba Market ties to your earlier “frightened crowd” quote, with starving Gazans trapped in a chaotic struggle for survival, much like Portofino’s tourist throngs or the mob threatening Ashok Saraf. The “steps” of Gaza’s war-torn streets witness their plight, echoing the scrutiny in Karen Read’s trial or the San Francisco school district’s policy backlash. If you’d like a deeper analysis of the crisis, specific incidents, or connections to your other prompts, let me know!
