According to reports from the United Nations, around 800 Palestinians have died since May at aid stations, many of which are managed by the contentious GHF, supported by the US and Israel. The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has accused Israel of orchestrating a “brutal scheme” in Gaza following these casualties. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini expressed on social media that Gaza is now a place where children and the vulnerable face inescapable hardships, stating, “The residents have no choice but between two forms of death—starvation or violence.” Lazzarini’s remarks followed the deaths of 15 individuals, including nine children and four women, who were waiting for food supplements in Deir el-Balah in Gaza’s central region. On the same day, medical sources reported 31 more deaths in the area, with 10 individuals being killed near a GHF facility in Rafah.
The GHF, with backing from the US and Israeli governments, has overshadowed the UN’s humanitarian efforts since its operations began in May, post an easing of Israel’s extended blockade. Since then, it has been reported that a total of 819 Palestinians have died while awaiting food distributions, according to a spokesperson from the UN Secretary-General’s office. This includes 634 deaths near the GHF centers, which are sparse across the region, and 185 near other humanitarian missions, some UN-affiliated. Previously, a UN representative noted that between May and early July, nearly 800 Palestinian deaths occurred in these circumstances.
Allegations have surfaced that Israeli troops and US contractors have shot unarmed civilians gathering for aid, according to reports by various media sources. Reporting from UN headquarters, a correspondent noted how a high-ranking World Food Programme (WFP) official described the crisis in Gaza as the worst he has witnessed. Although the WFP holds enough food supplies to sustain Gaza’s population for two months, entry of these supplies is impeded, forcing Palestinians to depend on GHF. Attention has grown over further plans by Israel to create what it terms a “humanitarian city” in Rafah, a project critics compare to confinement camps.
Satellite data suggests extensive demolitions in the area to facilitate this initiative, purportedly set to house Gaza’s entire populace. Analysts have pointed out that GHF’s aid centers are strategically positioned in the south as part of a demographic strategy to relocate Palestinians. This tactic has been likened to a repeat of historical displacements. GHF has praised its approach to aid distribution as innovative, but criticisms persist.
Meanwhile, recent violence led to 31 deaths in Gaza, including a strike on a school in Jabalia An-Nazla that killed eight people. An eyewitness described the aftermath in heart-wrenching detail. In Gaza City, another Israeli attack its a residential area, resulting in the death of a child, according to hospital sources. Gazan health officials have highlighted the severe consequences of fuel shortages, affecting hospital operations and leading to dangerous circumstances for patients in need of ongoing treatment.
Restricted access to Gaza remains a dire issue, deemed life-threatening by UN representatives, who continue to call for a ceasefire to prevent further unnecessary loss of life.
