MSF Describes US- and Israeli-Backed Gaza Aid System as 'Orchestrated Killing'
In a report titled 'This is not aid. This is orchestrated killing,' released Thursday, MSF demanded the immediate dismantling of the current Gaza humanitarian aid mechanism, which it says is marked by deadly crowd control, intentional targeting of civilians, and the worsening of an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The report focuses on two Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites in Rafah, operated under Israeli military control and guarded by U.S.-contracted mercenaries. According to MSF, since these sites opened in May, they have become epicenters of chaos and lethal violence.
'The GHF distribution sites fall dangerously short of any recognised standard for safe and dignified humanitarian distributions,' the report states.
'Nowhere else in the world where MSF operates – including in the most volatile conflict zones – would this level of violence around an 'aid distribution' site be tolerated. This must stop now.'
MSF medical teams, originally stationed in Rafah to provide primary care, now describe their clinics as de facto trauma centers. Over a seven-week span in June and July, clinics in Al-Attar and al-Mawasi received 1,380 injured individuals and 28 dead bodies, many directly from the GHF aid sites.
The wounded included 174 gunshot victims, among them women and children, although the majority were teenage boys and young men. MSF says the pattern of injuries, mainly to lower limb, 'strongly suggests intentional targeting of people within the distribution sites, rather than accidental or indiscriminate fire.'
'People are being shot like animals,' an MSF coordinator said in the report.
'They're not armed. They're not soldiers. They're civilians carrying plastic bags, hoping to bring home some flour or pasta. And my question is: how high is the price they have to pay for one bag of food?'
Beyond gunshot wounds, many patients reportedly suffered from injuries caused by pepper spray, beatings, and suffocation during stampedes. Victims often arrived at clinics covered in dust and sand after taking cover on the ground.
Mass Starvation Gripping Gaza
The MSF report comes amid escalating warnings from humanitarian organizations about a deepening famine across the Gaza Strip. At least 96 Palestinian children and infants have died from malnutrition and starvation, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The overall number of famine-related deaths is approaching 200.
The crisis stems from a prolonged blockade that has restricted the entry of food, medicine, and fuel into the territory for over five months. According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, approximately 1.25 million people are now living under catastrophic hunger conditions, with 96% of the population experiencing severe food insecurity, more than half of them children.
'We have 17,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition,' said the Director of Al-Shifa Hospital.
'This is a generation being starved to death.'
UNICEF recently warned that one in three people in Gaza are going days without food, while the World Health Organization (WHO) named Gaza City as the 'worst-hit' area for child malnutrition. Nearly 20% of children under five there are now acutely malnourished.
Over 100 humanitarian groups, including MSF, Oxfam, and Amnesty International—have warned that 'mass starvation' is rapidly taking hold.
Jagan Chapagain, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, stated, 'No one should have to risk their life to get basic humanitarian assistance.'
Ross Smith, Director of Emergencies for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), issued a grim assessment 'This is not a warning, this is a call to action. This is unlike anything we have seen in this century.'
According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment, two out of three famine thresholds for food consumption have been breached across most of Gaza.
The analysis also projected that by the end of September, the entire population would experience high levels of acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million people facing 'catastrophic' hunger.
Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, was unequivocal in his condemnation, 'Israel has built the most efficient starvation machine you can imagine. So while it's always shocking to see people being starved, no one should act surprised. All the information has been out in the open since early 2024.'
'Israel is starving Gaza. It's genocide. It's a crime against humanity. It's a war crime. I have been repeating it and repeating it and repeating it.'
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