DaysofPal-The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has revealed that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza since May, when the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took over aid distribution in the territory.
According to the UN, most of the victims were killed by Israeli military forces.
Of the total number, 859 people were killed near aid sites operated by GHF, and 514 others were killed while waiting along food convoy routes.
The victims included women, children, and elderly individuals, many of whom were seeking food for their families amid a deepening famine in the besieged enclave.
“The Israeli military mostly committed these killings,” the UN said in its statement.
It added that the nature of these attacks, targeting civilians at known aid distribution points, may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.
Since the GHF system replaced UN-led aid mechanisms, humanitarian groups have raised serious concerns about its ineffectiveness and dangers.
With UNRWA and other international organizations sidelined, aid convoys and drop sites have become chaotic and unprotected, turning into “death traps.”
Many of the civilians killed were reportedly shot by Israeli snipers or struck by drone and artillery fire while gathering around food trucks or attempting to catch food packages dropped by air.
In some cases, entire families were gunned down within sight of aid workers and journalists.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s humanitarian crisis has worsened, and the World Food Program reports that one in every three people in Gaza is going days without food, while three-quarters of the population face emergency levels of hunger.
The UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has warned that famine is spreading and could escalate into a full-scale crisis without urgent intervention.
Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called for an independent investigation into the killings and demanded accountability at the international level.
Legal experts say Israel’s systematic targeting of starving civilians may meet the criteria for genocide under international law.
The findings have also intensified scrutiny of US involvement in Gaza’s aid infrastructure. Despite growing criticism, the United States continues to support GHF, which was created as an alternative to UN agencies. Last week, a senior US envoy visited GHF sites and described the program as “promising,” drawing sharp rebukes from rights advocates.
The OHCHR has urged Israel and its partners to allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid under international oversight and to ensure the protection of civilians.
So far, no international investigation has been launched, and the killings continue.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=66263
