The head of the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees has warned that a breakdown of civil order in Gaza had allowed widespread looting and smuggling and blocked aid delivery, AFP reports.

Since the conflict erupted in the Gaza Strip more than eight months ago, the Palestinian territory “has been decimated”, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini told the agency’s advisory body, warning that “the breakdown of civil order has resulted in rampant looting and smuggling that impede the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid”.