UN Agency accuses Israel of using food as a ‘gun’ in Gaza and killing more than 400 Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid

Israel has not yet commented on the accusation, but states that its food distribution system in Gaza works. Palestinians carry supplies in the Gaza Strip near the Netzarim corridor in the center of the territory on May 29, 2025. Reuters/Ramadan Abed The UN Human Rights Office accused, on Tuesday, Israel to use food as a gaza range and to kill more than 410 Palestinians looking for humanitarian aid. “Desperate and hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhuman choice to starve or risk being killed while trying to get food,” Thameen al-Kheetan has reported to reporters at a press conference in Geneva, referring to a series of fatal shootings near Gaza’s humanitarian foundation points. Al-Kheetan said the “instrumentalization” of food for civilians in Gaza, using it as if it were a “weapon” in the face of the aggravated humanitarian crisis scenario and the risk of extreme hunger, is a war crime. This is UN’s most striking statement so far about the new humanitarian aid distribution model managed by an American organization supported by Israel. “The instrumentalization of food against civilians, besides restricting or preventing access to essential services for survival, is a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may represent elements of other crimes according to international law,” he said. UN boss for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), Philippe Lazzarini, a new gaza aid delivery mechanism is an “abomination” and a “deadly trap”. The Israeli government has not commented on the UN prosecution until the last update of this report, but has already defended its new food distribution system in Gaza on other occasions, and has denied similar accusations of human rights violations made by bilateral and independent organisms. This report is updated.

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