UN Rights Office Reports 798 Gazans Killed While Seeking Humanitarian Aid Since Late May

Geneva, MINA – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has reported that at least 798 Palestinians have been shot dead by Israeli occupation forces while trying to access humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip since late May. The figure underscores the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.

An OHCHR spokesperson said on Friday that out of the total casualties, 615 people were killed near aid distribution centers operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May 27, while another 183 were killed along aid convoy routes.

These mass deaths have intensified international concerns about the current aid distribution mechanism in Gaza, now overseen by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation a body closely linked to Israeli authorities.

Earlier this month, 169 international humanitarian organizations called for an end to the US and Israel-led distribution system through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. They urged a return to the previous United Nations led mechanism, which had been in place until March before Israel tightened the blockade.

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“Every day, there are reports of Palestinians being shot while queuing for aid near distribution points. This situation is no longer tolerable,” read a joint statement by the organizations, which include health, food aid, development, and human rights groups from Europe, the United States, and Israel.

The signatories stated that the takeover of aid distribution by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has created dangerous and deadly conditions for civilians. They accused the foundation of failing to ensure the safety of people in urgent need of assistance under the total blockade.

With nearly 800 civilians killed in just six weeks while seeking aid, the international community is now faced with a pressing question: how much longer will the world allow humanitarian access in Gaza to remain a deadly trap. [Nia]

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)

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