in return for peace, which Washington has indicated could be necessary.

from entering Gaza since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuwith Hamas in March, throwing the territory of over 2 million people into what is believed to be the worst humanitarian crisis in nearly 19 months of war.

Israel has said the blockade and its renewed military campaign are intended to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages it still holds, most of them thought to be dead, and to disarm the Palestinian militant group.The U.N. high commissioner for human rights previously warned that starving civilians as a military tactic is a war crime.Aid groups have said Gaza’s civilian population is facing starvation, and there is concern that the desperation could lead to a breakdown of law and order. Although there have been incidents of looting by armed gangs throughout the war, aid workers say this week’s looting marks an escalation, as it was less organized and reached urban areas.

The ransacking in Gaza City began Wednesday evening after reports that aid trucks had entered the north from the south, said one aid worker who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to address the media. A security report circulated among aid agencies that night saying a group of armed people had broken into a bakery, driven by rumors that it held food supplies.The storage was empty and the group then looted a soup kitchen affiliated with an international aid group in the al-Shati camp, the report said.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency said its staff were safely evacuated on Wednesday after thousands of Palestinians breached its Gaza City field office and took medications. Louise Wateridge, a senior emergency officer at UNRWA, called the looting “the direct result of unbearable and prolonged deprivation.”

The ransacking continued through Friday night. Three witnesses told the AP that dozens of armed men stormed into at least two U.N. warehouses, pushing past police and local security guards who were protecting the facilities. The warehouses were nearly empty before the men arrived.“Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country,” she said in a post on X after the signing.

An ilmenite open pit mine is seen in a canyon in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)An ilmenite open pit mine is seen in a canyon in the central region of Kirovohrad, Ukraine, Feb. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House — hours after Ukrainian officials indicated a deal was nearly finalized — that there was still work to do.“The Ukrainians decided last night to make some last-minute changes,” Bessent said when asked about reports that Ukraine was ready to agree to the pact. “We’re sure that they will reconsider that. And we are ready to sign this afternoon if they are.”