DaysofPal – The Hamas Movement has accused the Israeli occupation of turning so-called “American-Israeli aid centers” into deadly traps for starving civilians, saying that the tactic is part of a systematic policy of genocide.
In a press statement issued Monday, Hamas said that the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is using starvation, killing, and the manipulation of humanitarian aid as weapons of war, amounting to war crimes and acts of genocide committed openly before the international community.
The statement came in response to a deadly attack earlier in the day, when Israeli forces targeted crowds of civilians gathered near two aid distribution points in western Rafah and southern Gaza City. Fourteen Palestinians were killed in the strikes, which Hamas described as another example of systematic killing under the false pretense of humanitarian relief.
Hamas warned that these military-run aid distribution centers must be shut down immediately, stating that relief efforts should be managed solely by the United Nations and its affiliated agencies, which it identified as the only legitimate and neutral entities capable of delivering aid in Gaza.
It called for an independent international investigation into the killings, the prosecution of Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders for war crimes, and urgent action by the United Nations Security Council to stop the genocide and to lift the ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Reiterating its position, Hamas declared that the ongoing war crimes and genocide against the people of Gaza, now extending beyond twenty months, will remain a permanent stain on the conscience of humanity.
The Government Media Office in Gaza also issued a statement highlighting the human cost of the Israeli-run “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” which has operated without UN oversight since May 27.
According to the office, the foundation’s operations have resulted in the deaths of more than 130 civilians and injuries to nearly a thousand others, as people tried to reach food parcels at what it called “checkpoints of humiliation and oppression.” It also reported that nine Palestinians remain missing after being lured into Israeli-controlled areas under the guise of aid distribution.
The media office accused the organization of spreading lies, including false claims that Palestinian resistance forces were interfering with aid efforts. It rejected any claim to humanitarian work by groups that serve military objectives, saying that such entities cannot be considered relief agencies.
The aid distribution process, carried out away from the supervision of the UN and international humanitarian organizations, has been widely condemned for its degrading nature. Images and testimonies describe Palestinians forced to pass through iron cages topped with barbed wire to access food. Despite the catastrophic humanitarian crisis, Israel has allowed only dozens of aid trucks into Gaza each day, far below the minimum 500 trucks needed daily to meet basic survival needs.
UN officials have also voiced growing concern over Israel’s obstruction of humanitarian access. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, warned that UN relief efforts could soon come to a halt entirely if Israeli authorities continue to prevent international agencies from accessing fuel stockpiles in Gaza. Haq revealed that nearly 260,000 liters of fuel were looted in northern Gaza over the past weekend.
Since Israel began its assault on Gaza on October 7, 2023, with full support from the United States, more than 180,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded, according to health authorities in the Strip. Most of the victims are women and children, and more than 11,000 people remain missing, many believed to be buried under the rubble. Humanitarian officials say the scale of devastation has created an unprecedented catastrophe and now warn that the delivery of aid itself is being weaponized to deepen the suffering of a besieged population.
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