ISLAMABAD (Web-Desk); The UN human rights office has reported a staggering toll of at least 798 killings in Gaza near aid distribution points and humanitarian convoys.
According to spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani, who briefed reporters in Geneva, the figures cover incidents recorded up to July 7. Of these, 615 deaths occurred close to sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), while another 183 were reported along routes used for delivering aid.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began distributing food in the enclave in late May, is backed by the U.S. and Israel and uses private American security and logistics companies to deliver assistance.
This approach allows it to bypass the UN-led aid system, which Israel has accused of enabling militants to siphon off supplies meant for civilians.
However, the United Nations has sharply criticized the GHF mechanism, describing it as inherently unsafe and a breach of the principle of humanitarian neutrality.
UN officials argue that such arrangements risk making aid sites and convoys targets, thereby endangering civilians who gather there out of desperation for food and essential supplies.
For its part, the GHF has rejected the UN’s claims, insisting that no such incidents have occurred at its distribution centers.
The grim casualty figures, however, underline the growing dangers faced by Gaza’s civilian population, already struggling under severe shortages amid ongoing conflict and repeated displacements.
The debate also highlights broader tensions over how humanitarian assistance is coordinated and delivered in war zones, raising pressing questions about the safety and neutrality of aid operations in Gaza.
