Gaza’s Starving Pay Deadly Price for Food
Geneva: 875 deaths of the Gazans attempting to access food supplies have been confirmed in Gaza in recent weeks amid a deepening humanitarian crisis, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported today.
The OHCHR, able to monitor only the initial developments of this crisis, stated that 674 of these deaths occurred near aid distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a United States and Israeli-supported initiative that began providing aid in southern Gaza on May 27, bypassing established United Nations (UN) and non-governmental organisation networks.
“As of 13 July, we have recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 674 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites,” said Thameen Al-Kheetan, OHCHR spokesperson, addressing journalists in Geneva. An additional 201 individuals died along routes of aid convoys or near convoys operated by the UN or its partners, still active in the war-torn enclave.
A deadly incident occurred at approximately 9 a.m. on Monday, July 14, when Israeli military forces reportedly shelled and fired on Palestinians gathered at a GHF site in the As Shakoush area of northwestern Rafah, resulting in two deaths and at least nine injuries. Some of the injured were transported to the hospital operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Rafah, which, on Saturday, treated over 130 patients, the “overwhelming majority” suffering from gunshot wounds, with “all responsive individuals” reporting they were attempting to access food distribution sites. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) expressed deep concern over the continued loss of civilian lives seeking food, as deadly malnutrition spreads among children. “Our teams on the ground—UNRWA teams and other United Nations teams—have spoken to survivors of these killings, these starving children included, who were shot at while on their way to pick up very little food,” said Juliette Touma, UNRWA Director of Communications, speaking via video from Amman.
A near-total Israeli blockade on Gaza, in place since March 2, 2025, has blocked all humanitarian aid deliveries, worsening the crisis. Touma reported a “significant increase” in child malnutrition, with babies dying from severe acute malnutrition. She noted that 6,000 UN trucks, carrying food, medicine, and basic supplies like soap, are waiting in Egypt and Jordan, a three-hour drive from Gaza. “We have 6,000 trucks waiting in places like Egypt, like Jordan; it’s from Jordan to the Gaza Strip it’s a three-hour drive, right?” Touma said. “Medicine and food are going to soon expire if we’re not able to get those supplies to people in Gaza who need it most, among them one million children who are half of the population of the Gaza Strip.”
In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, UN agencies reported ongoing violence, with Palestinian deaths linked to alleged actions by Israeli settlers and security forces. The OHCHR documented the killing of two-year-old Laila Khatib, shot in the head by Israeli security forces on January 25 while inside her home in Ash-Shuhada village, Jenin. On July 3, 61-year-old Walid Badir was fatally shot, reportedly while cycling home from prayers near Nur Shams camp. The Israeli military operation “Iron Wall,” launched earlier this year in the northern West Bank, has led to the demolition of hundreds of homes and the forced displacement of approximately 30,000 Palestinians, the largest such displacement in the region since 1967. “This includes the demolition of hundreds of homes and forced mass displacement of Palestinians,” said Al-Kheetan, noting that international law imposes clear obligations on occupying powers. “Bringing about a permanent demographic change inside the occupied territory may amount to a war crime and is tantamount to ethnic cleansing.”
UNRWA’s Touma described the West Bank situation as a “silent war,” with heavy restrictions on movement, rising poverty, and soaring unemployment as Palestinians are cut off from their livelihoods. The military operation has significantly affected refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, and Nur Shams, causing what Touma called “the largest population displacement of the Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967.” As humanitarian conditions in Gaza and the West Bank continue to deteriorate, international calls to address the urgent needs of affected civilians are growing stronger.
– global bihari bureau
