The Palestinian Centre for human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns the harrowing and repeated killings committed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against Palestinian civilians near the aid distribution points and along the roadways used by aid trucks in the Gaza Strip.  Those crimes have once again claimed the lives of dozens of civilians in a horrible and inhuman scene. The recurrence of such incidents demonstrates a deliberate and systematic pattern and reveals a mechanism aimed at targeting and killing the starving instead of providing relief to them.

The daily developments near the aid distribution points, since their establishment 22 days ago, and along the routes used by aid trucks confirm that IOF are operating under a calculated system of organized chaos, turning these aid sites into death traps.  Israel is deploying this deadly pattern as a tool for mass killings, humiliation and the degradation of human dignity.  This constitutes a serious violation of the most basic principles of international humanitarian law, which obligates Israel, as an occupying power, to facilitate the delivery of food and humanitarian aid to civilians under occupation, not to target them while attempting to access it.

In a recurring daily scene, on Tuesday morning, 17 June 2025, IOF opened fire on thousands of displaced civilians near two aid distribution sites in Rafah.  As a result, 7 civilians were killed while dozens more were injured

In a heinous crime, at around 08:00 on Tuesday, 17 June 2025, IOF fired several artillery shells at hundreds of civilians gathered in and near a desalination plant in Khan Younis.  These individuals were waiting for aid trucks, clinging to the hope of getting flour or any food supplies.  The shelling killed at least 50 of these aid seekers and injured dozens more.  All victims were transferred to Naser Medical Complex and nearby field hospitals.

An eyewitness said to PCHR’s field researcher:

” At around 05:00 on Tuesday, I went with some of my neighbors to the desalination plant, south of Khan Younis to get a bag of flour that had completely run out.  There were also thousands like us gathered waiting for aid.  At around 07:30 or 08:00, a quadcopter hovered above us and minutes later flew away.  Shortly after, Israeli artillery stationed hundreds of meters away from the area fired a shell at people who started to run away.  Meanwhile, more shells were fired, killing and injuring many. All victims were evacuated by animal-drawn carts, tuk-tuks and ambulances.”

On 27 May 2025, IOF declared the launch of a new aid distribution mechanism through establishing aid distribution points in dangerous zones under their full military control. These points are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation created specifically for this purpose with full security by a private US security company and heavy IOF deployment in the surrounding areas. Since its implementation, this mechanism has resulted in a series of horrible crimes with daily casualties recorded among civilians desperately seeking aid.

Each time, thousands, and sometimes reaching tens of thousands, of civilians flock to the vicinity of aid distribution points, clinging to the hope of getting any food amid the unprecedented spread of starvation. This comes in the context of Israel’s continuous closure of crossings and its obstruction of aid entry via United Nations mechanisms since 02 March 2025. These desperate civilians find themselves under Israeli drone fire and artillery shells.  Even those who manage to reach the distribution point are forced to struggle and clash with other civilians over the limited and insufficient food supplies.

After 22 days since the establishment of the aid distribution sites, promoted by Israel as a solution to end starvation and provide food to civilians, the realty unfolds a different story. A story of starvation that is still spreading and ravaging the whole Gaza Strip and the sites, which Palestinians are instructed to approach by Israeli orders, are now drawing thousands or tens of thousands of starving civilians who, along with their families, suffer from extreme hunger.

Since the establishment of these sites, IOF have killed tens daily gathered at or near them, claiming so far the lives of more than 350 aid seekers, including women and children.  These killings are part of a broader genocide committed in circumstances that pose no threat to the lives of the Israeli soldiers or personnel operating at these distribution points.

PCHR expresses serious concern that IOF is exploiting the war with Iran as a cover to perpetuate its crime of genocide in Gaza, including the ongoing policy of starvation and systematic killing of starving civilians near the aid distribution sites that have become death traps.

PCHR reiterates that these incidents confirm that the current aid distribution mechanism “flagrantly violates all humanitarian relief principles enshrined in international humanitarian law. It is, in itself, a degrading and humiliating conduct that strips Palestinian civilians of their dignity after enduring 20 months of systematic and deliberate starvation imposed by Israel in one of the most heinous collective crimes in modern history.

This Israeli mechanism fails to offer any effective solutions to end the catastrophic starvation; rather, it fosters an environment of chaos.  It is also a deliberate step to sideline neutral humanitarian actors and international organizations, particularly the United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA, aimed at undermining their mandate and crucial role in Gaza.

The Israeli mechanism also fails to offer a viable solution to the starvation that is viciously ravaging the population of the Gaza Strip. Instead, it grants Israel a façade of legitimacy to entrench the criminal policy of starvation as a weapon of war against the Palestinian in the Strip. Moreover, this mechanism also allow Israel to exploit humanitarian relief and aid to blackmail the population and maintain full control over Palestinians’ daily lives and essentials for survival.

Given the above, PCHR calls on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to abolish this mechanism, which compels civilians to move into dangerous zones under full Israeli military control. PCHR further urges the resumption of aid entry and demands allowing the international organizations to distribute aid across areas of displacement while allowing the free and uninterrupted entry of goods.

PCHR urges the international community, including the UN Member States, to fulfil their legal and humanitarian responsibilities and take immediate action to pressure Israel to stop the ongoing crime of genocide, reopen Gaza’s border crossings and resume the unrestricted, immediate and widescale entry of humanitarian aid under the supervision of the UN and its specialized agencies, free from any military or political interference.