The claims that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distribution sites are a humanitarian catastrophe received external validation on Tuesday when the UN Human Rights Office said it independently confirmed the deaths of 410 Palestinians at the sites since they became operational in late May.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, a UN human rights spokesperson, told reporters at a Geneva press briefing on Tuesday that over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the IDF while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The death toll came from Gazan health authorities and other sources, including non-governmental organizations, and is in the process of being verified by his office, he added.
“Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food. The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law,” he continued.
Hamas's abuse of resources
Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: “The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law.”
In response to a query by The Jerusalem Post, the IDF said that it is aware of the claims and is investigating them.
It added, “Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves its own people and endangers them to maintain its grip on power” in the enclave.
“As part of this,” the military said, “it does everything it can to obstruct the success of the food distribution operations in Gaza and directly intercept the aid. It hurts the local population and uses it to fight the IDF.”
The military explained that its presence makes it possible for the GHF to operate independently to distribute aid in an orderly manner so as “to ensure that it does not end up in Hamas’s hands.”
The IDF added that it is working to minimize any clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces, noting that it worked to reorganize the site with new fences, signage, and other improvements.
The military announced on Wednesday that the 252nd Reserve Division finished its operations in northern Gaza. They will be replaced by the 99th Division.
The IDF said it “eliminated dozens of terrorists, dismantled over 6 kilometers of underground terror tunnels, as well as dozens of tunnel shafts and terrorist infrastructure that posed a threat to our troops.”
Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.