The Gaza Strip has descended into anarchy, with hunger soaring, looting rampant and rising numbers of rapes in shelters as public order falls apart, the United Nations has said, AFP reports.

Palestinians are suffering “on a scale that has to be seen to be truly grasped”, Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office in the Palestinian territories, said after concluding his latest visit to the devastated Palestinian territory.

“This time I was particularly alarmed by the prevalence of hunger,” Sunghay told a media briefing in Geneva, via video link from Amman. “The breakdown of public order and safety is exacerbating the situation with rampant looting and fighting over scarce resources.

“The anarchy in Gaza we warned about months ago is here,” he said, calling the situation entirely predictable, foreseeable and preventable.

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