Amnesty says Israel using aid as a weapon to commit genocide in Gaza
The UK-based human rights group condemned Israel and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which the US and Israel have backed to take over aid distribution in Gaza from a network led by the United Nations.
Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 500 Palestinians have been killed at or near GHF distribution centers over the past month. The centers are guarded by private security contractors and located near Israeli military positions. Palestinian officials and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of opening fire at crowds of people moving near the sites.
A child cries as Palestinians gather to receive a hot meal at a food distribution point in the Nuseirat camp for refugees. AFP
The Amnesty report said Israel has "turned aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate starved Palestinians' through GHF's militarised hubs. The conditions have created "a deadly mix of hunger and disease pushing the population past breaking point.'
"This devastating daily loss of life as desperate Palestinians try to collect aid is the consequence of their deliberate targeting by Israeli forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution,' said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's secretary general.
The Israeli army says it has fired warning shots to control crowds and only fires at people it says are acting suspiciously.
Palestinians wait for food at a distribution point in Nuseirat, Gaza Strip.
AFP
The World Food Programme says despite the new Israel-backed initiative, food consumption reached a critical low last month, with food diversity reaching its worst level since the conflict began.
"The continued closure of crossings, intensified violence since March, soaring food prices, and extremely limited humanitarian and commercial supplies have severely restricted access to even basic food items,' the WFP said in a June report.
Amnesty's report follows a statement earlier this week from more than 165 major international charities and non-governmental organisations calling for an immediate end to the foundation. They say the new mechanism allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and is ineffective.
A Palestinian girl waits to collect donated food at a food distribution kitchen in Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip, on Friday. AP
It's the latest sign of trouble for the GHF, a secretive initiative headed by an evangelical leader who is a close ally of President Donald Trump. Last month, the US government pledged $30 million for the group to continue operation, the first known US donation to the group, whose other funding sources remain opaque.
GHF started distributing aid May 26 following a nearly three-month Israeli blockade that pushed Gaza's population of more than 2 million to the brink of famine.
Palestinian witnesses have describe scenes of chaos around the distribution sites, and two contractors in the operation have told The Associated Press that colleagues fired live ammunition and stun grenades toward crowds of people. Palestinians often must travel long distances to reach the sites.
In a statement on Tuesday, GHF rejected criticism of its operations and claimed it has delivered more than 52 million meals to hungry Palestinians.
"Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza,' GHF said.
Palestinian children line up to receive a hot meal at a food distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp. AFP
GHF has called for Israel's military to investigate the allegations from Gaza's Health Ministry, but last month the organisation said there has been no violence in or around its centers and its personnel have not opened fire.
Israel demanded the alternative plan because it accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid. The U.N. and aid groups deny there is significant diversion.
Amnesty accused Israel last year of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, saying it has sought to deliberately destroy Palestinians by mounting deadly attacks, demolishing vital infrastructure, and preventing the delivery of food, medicine and other aid.
Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic "blood libel.' It is challenging such allegations filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice and has rejected the International Criminal Court's accusations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister committed war crimes in Gaza.
Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
19 minutes ago
- Zawya
Oil dips ahead of expected OPEC+ output increase
LONDON - Oil futures fell almost 1% on Friday, pressured by expectations that OPEC+ producers will decide this weekend to raise output and an Iranian reaffirmation of its commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. Brent crude futures were down 62 cents, or 0.9%, at $68.18 a barrel by 1118 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 62 cents, or 0.93%, to $66.38. Trade was thinned by the U.S. Independence Day holiday. Both contracts on track for a small weekly gain, with Brent trading about 0.6% higher than last Friday's close and WTI around 1.3% higher. Eight OPEC+ countries are likely to make another oil output increase for August at a meeting on Saturday in their push to boost market share. The meeting had been moved forward a day to Saturday. "If the group decides to increase its output by another 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August, as expected, for the fourth successive month, oil balance estimates for the second half of the year will be reassessed and will suggest accelerated swelling in global oil reserves," said PVM analyst Tamas Varga. Crude prices also came under pressure from a report on U.S. news website Axios, saying that the United States was planning to resume nuclear talks with Iran next week, while Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Tehran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would meet representatives of Iran "if necessary" even as the U.S. imposed fresh sanctions targeting Iran's oil trade. Meanwhile, uncertainty over U.S. tariff policy was back in the spotlight as the end of a 90-day pause on higher levies approaches. Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday, specifying what tariff rates they will face on goods sent to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual trade deals. "The oil market might take on more of a direction next week once we have had the results of the OPEC+ meeting at the weekend and because Trump's tariff deadlines are due next week," said Investec's head of commodities, Callum Macpherson. Separately, Barclays said it had raised its Brent oil price forecast by $6 to $72 a barrel for 2025 and by $10 to $70 a barrel for 2026 on an improved demand outlook.
Middle East Eye
19 minutes ago
- Middle East Eye
Iranian 'freedom' won't come from Israeli bombs or US regime change
In an interview last month with the Saudi-funded network Iran International, during Israel's assault on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza - boasted about what he called "the great slogan of 'Woman, Life, Freedom'". He recounted the story of an Israeli female pilot flying over Tehran, "targeting missile and nuclear sites, but in a way, fighting for Iranian women and all free peoples everywhere." Some in the Iranian diaspora have bought into this liberatory myth. But history shows how this ends. Look no further than the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) myth of Iraq, the "bombing women into liberation" myth of Afghanistan, and the regime change to "protect civilians" myth of Libya. Most Iranian Americans opposed the war and were horrified to see bombs raining down on Iran. But I watched a small, yet extremely vocal, minority of the Iranian diaspora draw radically different conclusions from the same horrors. This division unfolded at a moment when the stakes were life and death for a country of more than 90 million - and when Israel and the United States had carried out a genocide against Palestinians with near-total impunity for almost two years. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters As an Iranian American, I know this disunity isn't new, but experiencing it this time felt especially devastating - particularly knowing that the approximately five million Iranians living abroad play a significant role in shaping global perceptions of Iran, and that their perspectives significantly influence public opinion within Iran. Propaganda war In its attack on Iran, Israel followed the same Zionist playbook it has long used in Gaza and Beirut - most infamously through the "Dahiya Doctrine", which calls for overwhelming force and the destruction of civilian infrastructure. Criticise the genocide or Israel's aggression, and you're branded a 'regime apologist'. Support freedom for Palestinians and Iranians, and you're called a 'traitor' It also waged a parallel propaganda campaign targeting the Iranian diaspora, drawing on its Hasbara playbook to frame the violence as liberation. It became particularly evident during the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, when Iranian Americans opposing the war faced waves of harassment and bot campaigns - and it has only intensified over the past two years. Speak out against the genocide or Israel's aggression towards Iran, and these diaspora factions brand you a "regime apologist". Support liberation for both Palestinians and Iranians, and you're labelled a "traitor". Call for an end to the war without first denouncing the Iranian government and its crimes, and you risk doxxing and harassment. In 2022, these groups rightly joined the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement to protest the Iranian government's violations against its people, which resulted in 550 people being killed by security forces. Yet when more than 900 Iranians were killed by Israel in just 12 days, they remained silent. Silencing dissent Many Iranian Americans, including myself, have been horrified by Israel's genocide and feared that if such atrocities could be committed with impunity, nothing would stop them from targeting Iranians as well. While mainstream media outlets consistently gave a platform to pro-Israel voices, our perspectives were largely ignored. Over the past year, I interviewed 25 members of the Iranian diaspora - research published in Jadaliyya - to understand why so many Iranians support Israel. Recurring themes emerged: frustration with Tehran's regional priorities over domestic welfare; collective trauma entangled with anti-Arab and Islamophobic attitudes; and, in some cases, sheer opportunism. Their opposition to the Iranian government distorts their judgment, blinding them to the reality that Israel is not a rational actor - it deliberately targets civilians across the region with impunity. During the war, these themes - amplified by Hasbara tactics - became even more pronounced. Images of Iranian children buried under rubble and reports of hundreds killed were quickly dismissed as state propaganda, with claims that all the victims were affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps - echoing Zionist dismissals of Palestinian death tolls because they are from the "Hamas-run health ministry". When Israel bombed the gates of Evin Prison - killing at least 71 Iranians, many of whom were imprisoned political dissidents and their families - few paused to ask: why was Israel bombing a prison at all? Does bombing a prison where some of the government's most vocal critics are held bring the people any closer to freedom? Manufactured consent The embrace of Israeli aggression as a path to Iranian "liberation" partly stems from the most hawkish voices in the diaspora, who frame Israel as the eventual saviour of the Iranian people - as if bombing our own is the price of "liberation". Most notably, the self-declared "born-again Zionist" Reza Pahlavi, exiled son of the deposed Shah, posted videos declaring "the Islamic Republic's end is near". How supporters of 'Woman Life Freedom' in Iran rejected Israel's assault Read More » Since the war, he has continued to outline a new future for Iran with himself at the centre - even as numerous civil society movements inside the country call for a future determined by Iranians on the ground, who are at the forefront of the struggle. These same Israeli-backed figures have long fuelled warmongering and posed as diaspora spokespeople - convenient native informants for US and Israeli interests. Both before and during the war, Israel exploited this fragmentation, tailoring propaganda for Iranian audiences through Persian-language social media posts by its military and subtitled speeches by Netanyahu. Even the name "Operation Rising Lion" nods to the Shah's emblem, signalling regime change. As we reflect on the tremendous loss these 12 days of war brought, we must recognise that Israeli impunity is to blame - and so are the diaspora figures who cling to the simplistic "enemy of my enemy is my friend" logic, becoming blind to how they help manufacture consent for the killing of our own. Even among self-identified, less hawkish, non-monarchist segments of the diaspora, there has been - and still is - a troubling reluctance to criticise Israel. They often frame its genocidal actions as no worse than the Islamic Republic's crimes over the past 46 years, even now. Inside Iran, however, the war triggered a natural rally-around-the-flag response. Even former and current political prisoners, including those from the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement, rejected US-Israeli aggression and called for it to end. Shared struggle The links between Palestinian and Iranian liberation have never been clearer. This unprovoked aggression has shown us how Zionist violence, repackaged as "liberation", can reach Iran - with support from our own. Freedom for Iranians cannot come from external actors, especially not from genocidaires. Neither Israel nor the US will save our people If the diaspora remains divided by anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia or political posturing, we serve only the systems we claim to resist. If the diaspora remains divided by anti-Arab racism, Islamophobia or political posturing, we serve only the systems we claim to resist. Considering Israel's more than 1,000 ceasefire violations, we must ensure this ceasefire is upheld. Only with genuine ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, too, can the first step towards just peace - grounded in accountability - become possible for the entire region. Iranians have been fighting for freedom for decades. But that freedom cannot - and will not - come from external actors, especially not from genocidaires. Neither Israel nor the US will save our people. And until we face these truths collectively, we betray both our cause and the people and places we love - from Karaj to Kermanshah, Tabriz to Tehran. The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
Al Etihad
33 minutes ago
- Al Etihad
Nuclear inspectors have left Iran: UN watchdog
4 July 2025 16:58 Vienna (AFP)UN nuclear watchdog inspectors left Iran on Friday, according to the agency, which called for the resumption of its "indispensable monitoring" after the country officially suspended its suspension came after last month's 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict," the IAEA said in a post on X."IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible," it officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday. On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to suspend the cooperation.
