3 days ago
Disguised aid: Israel's distribution system in Gaza masks a campaign of genocide
DaysofPal – The world continues to wait for the enforcement of international justice while Israel's genocide in Gaza rages into its eighth month. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has intensified its assault, introducing new types of weaponry, including incendiary munitions, in a campaign of terror, starvation, and indiscriminate killing.
Despite repeated rulings by the International Criminal Court, enforcement remains absent. Meanwhile, Gaza endures relentless violence and an engineered famine. More than 600 days into this war, Israel has weaponized food aid, militarizing distribution and punishing those who seek to survive.
On Tuesday, hospitals across Gaza, including Al-Shifa, Al-Aqsa, and Nasser, reported at least 42 Palestinian deaths by Israeli fire in various parts of the Strip, including 27 killed in a massacre targeting aid seekers in Rafah.
According to Al-Shifa hospital, two Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia in northern Gaza. Al-Aqsa hospital reported receiving the bodies of three Palestinians and several wounded after an Israeli bombing struck two tents sheltering displaced civilians in Deir al-Balah.
These incidents coincided with another deadly attack in western Rafah, where 24 Palestinians were killed and over 200 injured while waiting for food assistance. This event is yet another deliberate targeting of desperate civilians.
The motivation behind seeking aid was not opportunistic; it was survival. Entire families, displaced and starving, ventured out from makeshift tents among the rubble in search of flour or canned food, responding to announcements of Israeli-supervised aid in so-called 'safe' zones.
But what followed was chaos and carnage. Witnesses described scenes of panic as people were shot and injured. With ambulances unable to reach the site, victims were transported using animal-drawn carts.
In testimonies gathered by Anadolu Agency, wounded survivors and their families recounted the harrowing experience of being caught between hunger and gunfire. Israeli drones and tanks opened fire even in designated aid areas, leaving behind bloodied bodies and searing memories.
Since May 27, Israel has implemented a controversial new aid distribution scheme through the 'Humanitarian Gaza Foundation,' backed by Israeli and American interests but rejected by the United Nations. The Israeli military designated four distribution points: three in southern Gaza and one in the Netzarim corridor dividing the north and south.
This system, run without oversight from the UN or international relief agencies, has been widely condemned as a tactic to forcibly displace Palestinians from northern Gaza. Aid is limited and only available in buffer zones, while the military shoots at crowds of starving civilians.
Since the mechanism began, at least 99 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured near these aid points, according to Anadolu's monitoring of Palestinian sources.
'We just wanted food': Voices from the survivors
'We went to get food, and my brother was shot.'
Yazan Musleh, whose 13-year-old brother Yazid was wounded, said, 'We were sitting in our tent. When we heard about the food, we ran toward the distribution center. My father had us sit in an area they said was safe, but it wasn't.'
He added, 'They started shooting randomly. My brother waved at the drone not to shoot, but the bullet entered his stomach and tore his insides out.'
'We managed to get him help using a donkey cart. We came back with nothing but his injury. We just wanted something to stop our hunger.'
'We went based on Israeli instructions.'
Khaled Al-Lahham, who was also injured, said, 'They told us it was a safe humanitarian zone. Suddenly, bullets rained down. I was hit; others were hit; many died. We only wanted food. We haven't eaten in a week.'
'When we got there, they surrounded us from every direction: tanks, drones, helicopters. I went for food for my children. I came back with a bullet in my back.'
Another survivor, Mohammed Al-Basyouni, said he left at dawn from between Rafah and Khan Younis, determined to bring food for his ailing father.
'My mother begged me not to go, but I insisted. We needed food. As soon as I arrived, shooting began. I was hit in the back. They took me in a tuk-tuk. I had surgery and survived. Others didn't.'
He concluded, 'We knew we might die, but we had no choice. Hunger is deadly. We want this war and siege to end. We want this nightmare to stop.'
The Gaza Government Media Office said that this distribution mechanism was a 'tool of genocide' and a means of forced displacement. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed this, warning that the Israeli aid strategy 'threatens lives and violates international standards.'
Türk stated that 'the deadly attacks on desperate civilians trying to obtain minimal food aid in Gaza are unacceptable' and reminded that 'attacks targeting civilians constitute grave breaches of international law and war crimes.'
As of Tuesday morning, the number of Palestinians killed at aid centers rose to 102 in just eight days.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an 'immediate, independent investigation' into the killings, expressing deep horror and stating that 'it is unacceptable for Palestinians to risk their lives for food.'
He emphasized Israel's clear obligations under international law to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid and called for 'the urgent restoration of unimpeded humanitarian access.'
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor accused Israel of weaponizing humanitarian aid as part of a 'genocidal apparatus' and said that the system is being used to 'forcibly transfer' the population of Gaza. The organization noted that Israel has kept aid crossings closed for over 90 days, driving Gaza's 2.2 million people toward famine.
The residents of the Gaza Strip are suffering from a rising famine due to the ongoing Israeli siege, which has lasted for nearly three months. This has pushed one in five Palestinians to the brink of actual starvation, according to UN reports.
The latest data from the 'Integrated Food Security Phase Classification' indicates that approximately 1.95 million people, or 93% of the Strip's population, are facing a severe food shortage, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe.
Northern Gaza, in particular, is experiencing even more extreme levels of hunger amidst chaos at aid distribution points, which reflects the growing desperation among the population. The UN body reported that the continuation of the Israeli siege will likely lead to waves of mass displacement, both internal and external, which is what the Israeli occupation desires.
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