More than 500 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since late May, the United Nations said on Friday, raising urgent concerns over the safety and impartiality of humanitarian relief efforts in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
According to Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, at least 613 people were killed in total near GHF distribution points and humanitarian convoys between May 26, when the foundation began operations, and June 27. Of those, 509 deaths occurred directly near GHF sites.
“The Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points,” Shamdasani said. “How many killings? Who is responsible for that? We need an investigation. We need access. We need an independent inquiry, and we need accountability for these killings.”
Access to Gaza remains severely restricted, making verification and monitoring of the deaths extremely difficult, the UN added. The figures are expected to rise as further reports are being corroborated.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private, US-registered initiative backed by both the United States and Israel, was established after Israel halted aid deliveries into Gaza for over two months. That blockade intensified fears of famine in the enclave, which continues to suffer under bombardment during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas.
Despite its stated mission to alleviate hunger, the GHF has come under criticism from the UN and major humanitarian groups, who refuse to cooperate with it over concerns that the foundation is aligned with Israeli military objectives and fails to adhere to humanitarian neutrality.
GHF chairman Johnnie Moore, a prominent evangelical Christian and ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, claimed Thursday that more than one million food boxes had been distributed and insisted there had been no violence at or near GHF sites. “We haven’t had a violent incident in close proximity to our distribution sites,” Moore told journalists in Brussels.
That claim stands in stark contrast to reports from the ground. Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization’s representative in the Palestinian territories, visited Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex this week and described an overwhelming influx of casualties. “It’s mainly boys, young adolescents, young men… so many of these cases shot in the head, shot in the neck, shot in the chest,” he said.
Calling the situation intolerable, Peeperkorn added: “The senseless killing in Gaza must stop.”
As calls for an independent investigation grow, the death toll underscores the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the contested role of foreign-backed aid efforts amid ongoing conflict.
Written By Rodney Mbua
