Gaza, MINA – More than 170 humanitarian organizations have issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s new military-controlled aid distribution system in Gaza, calling it a “deadly distribution scheme” that forces civilians to choose between “starvation or gunfire.” Anadolu Agency reported.
The aid groups urged the international community to immediately reinstate the previous UN-led humanitarian coordination mechanism, which involved UN agencies like UNRWA and Palestinian civil society.
According to the statement, Israel’s system has reduced over 400 distribution points to just four military-run sites, creating overcrowded zones where civilians are exposed to frequent attacks.
In less than a month, over 500 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and nearly 4,000 injured while trying to access food and essential aid at these military-run sites. The organizations warned that these areas have become sites of repeated massacres and accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law.
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“Children and their caregivers are among the dead, with more than half of the attacks impacting minors,” the NGOs said. They emphasized that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is escalating rapidly, citing growing hunger, severe fuel shortages, and a lack of clean water.
The statement also criticized Israel for using the blockade as a pretext to dismantle the existing aid system and replace it with a militarized structure that fails to meet the basic needs of the population.
The NGOs urged governments not to support or fund the military aid scheme and called for full humanitarian access, an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the release of hostages and arbitrarily detained individuals, and accountability for violations of international law.
Since October 2023, the Israeli military operation in Gaza has reportedly killed more than 56,500 Palestinians. []
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Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)