"It's A Death Trap" - Children Killed Or Injured In Half Of Fatal Food Distributions In Gaza This Month
Save the Children analysed reports from the Gaza Media Office and the UN on the number and type of casualties at GHF and other aid distribution points since 27 May 2025, and found in 19 deadly incidents reported, children were among the casualties in 10 of them- or more than half of all incidents [1].
Some families in Gaza are so desperate - in some cases due to a lack of a healthy adult - that they are sending children to collect food at distribution points, unavoidably exposing them to the risk of being shot by Israeli forces, said Save the Children.
Since 27 May, more than 500 Palestinians have been killed and at least 3,000 injured by Israeli forces while trying to access aid, either at or on route to GHF distribution points, or while attempting to approach the very few other aid convoys delivered by the UN or NGOs, according to OHCHR.
Save the Children staff in Gaza say family members and neighbours have witnessed or experienced carnage at the distribution sites over the past month. Save the Children staffer Mohamed- said his neighbour, a father of four, had no choice but to go to a distribution as his family had run out of food and money. He went to Rafah and was shot and killed. Mohamad is now trying to help his neighbour's widow; he says she is now destitute and traumatised - her children crying all the time.
Another staffer, Abdallah-, said that a member of his extended family went to a distribution site this month and witnessed a man shot and left bleeding on the ground. He said people were running over the injured man, trying to get to the food, with no one able to stop and help.
Save the Children's Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe, Ahmad Alhendawi, said:
"No-one wants to get aid from these distribution points and who can blame them - it's a death sentence. People are terrified of being killed. One colleague told us today that even though his family is down to eating one meal a day, he won't go to a GHF distribution, because he believes his life is worth more than a bag of flour.
"And to add to the dystopian horror show, children are also being killed and injured trying to reach aid - aid they have a right to. Other families tell us they are now too weak to compete to pick up food. What is happening here is nothing short of abhorrent.
"No child should be killed searching for food. This is not a humanitarian operation - it's a death trap. Forcing civilians into fenced-in zones only for them to be gunned down is the opposite of humanitarian - it's inhumane. And it is not the only option. There is an established humanitarian aid system which must be allowed to function. States have a choice. They can't undo the past, but they can act now - to stop this, uphold international law, and let experienced humanitarian organisations deliver aid safely and with dignity. A party to conflict cannot be allowed to continue weaponising aid, humanitarian access, and starvation."
The Government of Israel continues to maintain a siege on the majority of lifesaving supplies and commercial goods entering Gaza, creating a situation termed by UN officials as ' engineered scarcity.' While death and injury remain the primary risks for children at these distribution sites, the UN has reported additional risks including separation from families.
Save the Children is running a primary healthcare centre in Deir Al-Balah, providing essential services to children, mothers, and families, including screening and treatment for malnutrition. Our teams deliver lifesaving water, run child-friendly spaces that offer safe places for children to play and receive psychosocial support, and set up temporary learning centres to help children continue their education during the crisis. Since the collapse of the pause on March 18, it has become extremely difficult for our staff to deliver these vital services, despite the colossal needs.
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