The UN human rights office (OHCHR) has condemned Israel’s massacre of aid seekers at humanitarian sites in Rafah and near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza, as more Palestinians are killed in an Israeli strike on an aid site.
According to medical sources, Israeli forces launched another attack on Palestinians gathered at a GHF aid distribution point in Rafah, killing at least three and injuring 35.
It came a day after Israeli troops killed at least 40 people at the same location.
GHF is an Israel-US-backed group, based in Geneva that has been set up to function as an alternative to the already established methods of aid delivery, through UN-affiliated organizations, to Gaza.
Meanwhile, the OHCHR raised the alarm over Israeli forces targeting Palestinian aid seekers at GHF distribution points.
The office noted that Sunday’s killings follow a series of attacks between May 27-31 that left at least 19 dead and 80 wounded.
It reiterated that once again, “Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism violates international standards on aid distribution, endangers civilians, and is contributing to the catastrophic situation in Gaza.”
“The weaponization of food for civilians and restricting or preventing their access to other life-sustaining services constitute a war crime and may constitute elements of other international crimes, including genocide,” it added.
‘Dehumanizing’
Survivors and eyewitnesses of the Israeli strikes shared their accounts with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“Today’s events have shown once again that this new system of aid delivery is dehumanizing, dangerous and severely ineffective. It has resulted in deaths and injuries of civilians that could have been prevented. Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organizations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively,” Claire Manera, MSF emergency coordinator said.
“I was shot at 3:10am. As we were trapped, I bled constantly until 5:00am. There were many other men with me. One of them tried to get me out. He was shot in the head and died on my chest. We had gone there for nothing but food — just to survive, like everyone else,” said Mohammad Daghmeh, 24, a displaced person in Al-Qarara, Khan Younis.
Mansour Sami Abdi, a father of four, described the chaos, saying that, "People fought over five pallets. They told us to take food—then they fired from every direction. I ran 200 meters before realizing I’d been shot. This isn’t aid. It’s a lie. Are we supposed to go get food for our kids and die?"
The aid sites began operations in the Gaza Strip last Monday. Early the next morning, as thousands of Palestinians lined up at the aid site, Israeli forces opened fire, killing three Palestinians and injuring dozens.
The GHF said it opened a second site on Wednesday, the same day that Israeli forces again opened fire on aid seekers at one of its sites west of Rafah, this time killing at least six Palestinians.
Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement on Sunday that in less than a week, the Israeli regime has killed 50 people and wounded hundreds at GHF sites.
Separately on Sunday, the Gaza Ministry of Health said the GHF aid distribution centers have become “Israeli death traps,” adding that they are a new mechanism for the forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated dramatically since March 2, after the Israeli regime imposed an aid blockade on the besieged territory.
Since the aid blockade began, 57 children have died from the effects of malnutrition, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), Gaza suffers from phase 5 famine, and nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are at risk of acute malnutrition.
Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began its genocidal war on Gaza, it has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and injured over 124,000 others, most of whom are children and women.
Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/06/02/749076/UN-slams-%E2%80%98militarised%E2%80%99-aid-mechanism-in-Gaza-as-Israel-kills-3-more-at-aid-site
No comments:
Post a Comment