The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites have been labelled as death traps due to the high number of Palestinians killed by Israel at such sites [Getty/file photo]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found that Israel is committing war crimes by deliberately killing Palestinians as they attempt to access food aid at US- and Israeli-backedGaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites.
In a damning report published on Friday, HRW described the killings as “serious violations of international law and war crimes”.
Palestinians have been fatally shot on a near-daily basis at GHF aid distribution sites, which are located within Israeli-designated military zones, corridors, and buffer areas in Gaza. Most of the deadly incidents occurred in Rafah and along the Netzarim Corridor, a militarised strip cutting Gaza in half.
International law prohibits targeting civilians and requires armed forces to distinguish between combatants and non-combatants.
HRW found no evidence that those killed at the aid sites were armed or posed any threat. On the contrary, the report asserts that Israeli forces knowingly fired on civilians trying to survive.
Medical staff confirmed a sharp rise in gunshot injuries among patients, reinforcing claims that the Israeli army has been intentionally targeting aid seekers with live ammunition.
HRW documented at least 859 Palestinians killed at GHF distribution points, while the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territories puts the figure at 1,373. These sites have now been widely condemned and labelled as “death traps”.
Palestinians are forced to walk long distances through dangerous terrain to reach these points. Witnesses told HRW that Israeli forces tightly control the flow of movement and open fire on civilians who pause or act in a way the soldiers “didn’t want”.
This crackdown on aid comes amid Israel’s ongoing starvation campaign against Gaza, which has accelerated since its siege tightened in March. Dozens are now dying every day from hunger, malnutrition, and lack of medical care.
“Israeli forces are not only deliberately starving Palestinian civilians, but they are now gunning them down almost every day as they desperately seek food for their families,” Belkis Wille, HRW’s associate crisis and conflict director, said.
“US-backed Israeli forces and private contractors have put in place a flawed, militarised aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths,” she added.
In its report, HRW urged the international community to pressure Israel to immediately end its use of lethal force against civilians, lift its blockade, and shut down the GHF aid distribution mechanism.
The organisation called for the UN and reputable international agencies to take over humanitarian operations, as required under the International Court of Justice’s provisional measures following South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
GHF, launched in May, was created in response to unsubstantiated Israeli claims that Hamas was diverting humanitarian aid. The organisation is headed by John Acree, a former USAID official, and Johnnie Moore, an evangelical figure and businessman. According to The Wall Street Journal, it was designed in part to “sideline the UN”.
GHF is run by two US subcontractors, Safe Reach Solutions (SRS) and UG Solutions, whose armed guards have also reportedly opened fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians. Multiple witness testimonies describe reckless and lethal behaviour by these private contractors.
Since its inception, leading aid agencies such as the UN, Oxfam, and Save the Children have refused to work with GHF, citing concerns that it militarises aid and violates humanitarian principles by forcing desperate Palestinians to enter hostile zones to receive food.
HRW also dismissed GHF’s claims of distributing 95 million meals, saying the number of functioning aid sites and available supply trucks (about 60 daily) is woefully inadequate for Gaza’s starving population.
Former GHF security contractor Anthony Aguilar, a US army veteran, echoed these concerns in a video posted on social media.
“The best way that I can describe how the Palestinians reach the site to receive aid is akin to the Hunger Games, survival of the fittest, whoever can run the fastest and the furthest to the site first gets the aid,” he said.
Aguilar said he witnessed “indiscriminate shooting and inappropriate use of force”, and that his attempts to raise concerns were ignored by GHF management.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and White House envoy Steve Witkoff toured GHF sites in Rafah on Friday. Their visit was slammed as staged and performative by Palestinian officials.
“Mr. Witkoff, Gaza is not an animal farm that requires a staged personal visit to take some photos in front of the death traps your American companies oversee,” Hamas official Basem Naim said.
“Let us remind you: the people of Gaza are not beggars. They are free, proud, and noble people who want only freedom, independence, and the right to return to their homeland.”
Palestinians condemned Witkoff’s visit as “provocative and naive”, particularly in light of overwhelming evidence from international media and rights groups documenting Israel’s starvation tactics and attacks on civilians.
