Gaza (Quds News Network)- 22 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured on Thursday by Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip while waiting for food, as mass killings among starving aid seekers have become a grim daily occurrence with desperate civilians given a narrow window to rush for food.
In central Gaza, local sources confirmed that at least 16 aid seekers were killed by Israeli gunfire earlier this morning near an aid distribution site operated by the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) close to the Netzarim Corridor.
A few hours later, six starving civilians were killed, and dozens more injured, after an Israeli tank targeted them directly, southwest of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. They gathered in the hope of getting food from aid trucks that use the route.
Israel has regularly attacked starving aid seekers, particularly those waiting for food near aid distribution sites operated by the GHF, killing over 400 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 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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