A huge crowd of people ran and jostled on a Gaza City beach as news of a flour delivery spread, their hunger and desperation obvious in the chaos unfolding on the sand beside the rubble and twisted metal of flattened buildings, Reuters reports.

Some people carried bags to fill with flour, others climbed onto UN aid trucks, throwing down what looked like sacks of flour into the crowd below, according to footage posted on social media yesterday.

On the Gaza City beach, a few white UN cars with the organisation’s blue flag drove along the sand. Some people were visible in the posted video struggling under the weight of heavy sacks.

Reuters was able to authenticate the location of the footage showing the scramble for aid from buildings and terrain visible in the video, but not the date it was filmed.