DaysofPal – Since May 27, at least 583 Palestinians have been killed and 4,186 injured while waiting for food at aid distribution sites in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health in the besieged Strip. The attacks have taken place near centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an entity backed by both the Israeli and U.S. governments, making the pursuit of basic sustenance a life-threatening act.
The killings occur almost daily, as famine tightens its grip on Gaza’s 2.1 million residents. International organizations have warned repeatedly of a looming catastrophe: empty markets, contaminated water, medicine shortages, and aid deliveries made nearly impossible by Israeli restrictions and relentless bombardment.
In just the first eight days of the GHF’s operations, Israeli gunfire killed over 100 Palestinians. Media sources report that the GHF is now the only active food provider in Gaza, following Israel’s severe restrictions on other humanitarian actors.
“A lot of people here are trying to stay away from the GHF’s centers because of the danger involved in going to them due to the ongoing and deliberate shootings of aid seekers,” said a source inside Gaza. “But again, staying away is not an option. If there are no food parcels, it means children are going to bed hungry.”
Four aid sites for two million people
Before the war escalated in October, the UN operated around 400 aid distribution points across the Gaza Strip. Today, the GHF maintains only four “mega-sites”: three in the south and one in central Gaza. There are none in the north, where hunger and destruction are most severe.
These aid centers, guarded by armed private contractors employed by a U.S. firm, function on a first-come, first-served basis. The result is chaos: vast, desperate crowds struggle for limited resources amid crushing need, and the constant threat of Israeli fire.
Accessing these centers is both dangerous and physically grueling. Civilians must sometimes walk for hours through active combat zones, pass biometric checkpoints, and carry heavy food parcels back to their families. The system effectively excludes the most vulnerable: the elderly, wounded, and disabled.
The aid boxes themselves barely cover daily needs. The World Food Program recommends 2,100 calories per person per day, but Israel has reportedly capped food aid at 1,600 calories. GHF parcels offer only slightly more, around 1,750 calories, but contain no clean water, medicine, blankets, or fuel.
Are aid seekers being deliberately targeted?
Evidence continues to mount that Israeli forces are intentionally targeting civilians at aid sites. According to Haaretz, Israeli soldiers have described direct orders to shoot at crowds who posed no threat.
“We fired machine guns from tanks and threw grenades,” one soldier admitted. “There was one incident where a group of civilians was hit while advancing under the cover of fog.”
Another soldier described the grim routine: “Between one and five people were killed every day.” He concluded, “It’s a killing field.”
These revelations come amid increasing scrutiny of Israeli conduct in Gaza, as international legal experts and humanitarian organizations warn that starvation is being used as a weapon of war.
Gaza’s children on the brink
Children have borne the brunt of Gaza’s humanitarian collapse. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that child malnutrition is rising at an “alarming rate.”
In May alone, 5,119 children under the age of five were admitted to hospitals for acute malnutrition, nearly 50% more than in April and a 150% increase compared to February, when a temporary truce allowed limited aid in.
“In just 150 days, from the start of the year until the end of May, 16,736 children, an average of 112 per day, have been admitted for treatment,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“These are man-made decisions that are costing lives,” he added. “The food, water, and treatments they need are being blocked from reaching them.”
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