Gaza (Quds News Network)- At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured on Friday morning by Israeli forces while waiting for food near an aid distribution site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central Gaza, as Israeli attacks on starving aid seekers have become a grim daily reality.
In central Gaza, local sources confirmed that at least 27 aid seekers were killed and at least 120 others injured by Israeli gunfire earlier this morning near the GHF aid distribution site close to the Netzarim Corridor.
Israel has regularly attacked starving aid seekers, particularly those waiting for food near aid distribution sites operated by the GHF, killing over 420 and injuring more than 3,000 since GHF launched its operations on May 27, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported.
On March 2, Israel announced the closure of Gaza’s main crossings, cutting off food, medical and humanitarian supplies, worsening a humanitarian crisis for 2.3 million Palestinians, according to reports by human rights organisations who have accused it of using starvation as a weapon of war against Palestinains.
An Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report last month warned that almost a quarter of the civilian population would face catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase Five) in the coming months.
After more than 80 days of total blockade, starvation, and growing international outrage, limited aid has allegedly been distributed by the GHF, a scandal-plagued organization backed by the US and Israel, created to bypass the UN’s established aid delivery infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
Most humanitarian organisations, including the UN, have distanced themselves from GHF, arguing that the group violates humanitarian principles by restricting aid to south and central Gaza, requiring Palestinians to walk long distances to collect aid, and only providing limited aid, among other critiques.
The UN confirmed that Israel is still blocking food from reaching starving Palestinians with only a few trucks of aid having reached Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that “weaponizing aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity.”
“Every day Palestinians are met with carnage in their attempts to receive supplies from the insufficient amount of aid trickling into Gaza,” MSF said on Tuesday in a statement.
“I saw people torn to pieces; it’s a disaster. Seeking food should not be a death sentence.” Dr. Wafaa Abu Nemer, MSF paediatrician.
Israeli mass killings of aid seekers have become a grim daily reality amid chaotic scenes, as desperate Palestinians are given only a narrow window to rush for food and are later targeted by Israeli forces.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces killed at least 70 Palestinians and wounded hundreds as they sought aid on Gaza’s deadliest day at aid sites so far.
The commissioner-general of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, condemned the “lethal” US-Israel aid distribution mechanism in Gaza. In a post on X, Lazzarini indicated that Palestinian lives “have been so devalued”.
“It is now the routine to shoot & kill desperate & starving people while they try to collect little food from a company made of mercenaries,” he said.
“Inviting starving people to their death is a war crime. Those responsible of this system must be held accountable. This is a disgrace & a stain on our collective consciousness.”
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