Israel’s aid distribution becomes ‘death trap’ for starving Gazans: UN agency

Israel’s so-called aid distribution points have become a “death trap” for starving civilians in the Gaza Strip, the head of the UN agency of Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said yesterday.

Nearly 50 Palestinians were killed and over 200 others injured when Israeli occupation forces opened fire on Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid near a distribution point in the southern city of Rafah yesterday, the Health Ministry said.

“Aid distribution has become a death trap,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

Israel has crafted a plan to establish four aid distribution points in southern and central Gaza, which Israeli media say aim to force Palestinians out of northern Gaza into the south.

According to Israel’s Army Radio, Israel’s aid distribution plan aims to turn the territory’s north into a “completely depopulated area.”

“This humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area that’s all but pulverised due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli Army,” Lazzarini said.

“Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations, including UNRWA,” he added.

The UNRWA chief called on Israel to lift its siege on Gaza and allow the UN safe and unhindered access to bring in aid and distribute it safely.

“This is the only way to avert mass starvation, including among 1 million children,” he said.

“With competing narratives and disinformation campaigns in full gear, international media must be allowed into Gaza to independently report on the ongoing atrocities, including this morning’s heinous crime.”

Since 2 March, Israel has kept all border crossings to Gaza shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave’s population.