Over 600 killed near US and Israeli-backed Gaza aid sites

The UN Human Rights Office reported on July 4th that it has documented at least 613 killings, including incidents at aid distribution points operated by the US and the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to France 24 via Reuters. 

The GHF relies on private U.S. security and logistics firms to deliver aid into Gaza, largely circumventing a UN-led distribution system that Israel claims was exploited by militants. The United Nations has criticised the approach as “inherently unsafe” and a breach of humanitarian neutrality principles.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) collated data from a range of sources such as data from hospitals, cemeteries, families, Palestinian health authorities, NGOs and its partners to find that of the 613 people killed, 509 were killed near the GHF aid sites.

The GHF previously told Reuters it had provided over 52 million meals to Palestinians within five weeks, following the removal of the 11-week blockade on Gaza on May 19th. It also claimed that nearly all aid from other humanitarian organisations had been looted.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said to Reuters there have been cases of brutal looting and assaults on lorry drivers, which it condemned as not acceptable.

“Israel, as the occupying power, holds responsibility for maintaining public order and safety in Gaza. This includes allowing significantly more essential supplies to enter through multiple crossings and routes to meet urgent humanitarian needs,” OCHA spokesperson Eri Kaneko said.

The Israeli military acknowledged on June 30th that Palestinian aid seekers had been harmed at aid sites in Gaza. It said Israeli forces had been given new directives based on what it described as “lessons learned.”

Israel has consistently stated that its forces are active near aid centres to stop the supplies from being seized by Hamas militants.

Amid ongoing bombardment in Gaza, Israeli officials have said that troops were ordered to fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians waiting for aid at distribution points run by the the GHF, according to Maghrebi on July 3rd. This has led to nearly 600 deaths since May 27th of Palestinians seeking aid, according to Middle East Eye via Haaretz.

Despite these revelations, including reports of artillery fire killing civilians due to “inaccurate and uncalculated” strikes, the U.S. announced $30 million in additional funding for GHF, as reported by France 24 via Reuters on June 27th.

France 24 via Reuters, Middle East Eye via Haaretz, Maghrebi.org