UN denounces use of food as weapon in Gaza

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday called the use of food as a weapon in Gaza a "war crime," urging the Israeli army to "stop shooting at people trying to obtain it."

The current distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza, assigned to an agency supported by Israel and the United States and resulting in chaotic scenes, is "an abomination," denounced Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), at a press conference in Berlin.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing food in Gaza on May 26, after Israel completely cut off supplies to the Palestinian territory for more than two months, prompting warnings of massive famine.

"The use of food for military purposes against civilians not only restricts or prevents their access to vital services but also constitutes a war crime," a spokesperson for the High Commissioner, Thameen Al-Kheetan, said at a press briefing in Geneva, while emphasizing it was not up to the U.N. to tell who was "guilty."

"The desperate and starving people of Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of starving or risking being shot while trying to obtain food," he said. The U.N. and humanitarian NGOs refuse to work with the GHF, an organization with opaque funding, due to concerns about its procedures and neutrality.

On Monday, several human rights organizations called on the GHF to cease its operations, warning of risks of complicity in "war crimes." Since it began field operations, GHF claims to have distributed nearly 40 million meals; however, the U.N. and NGOs consider these amounts significantly insufficient given the needs.

'Death trap'

"The so-called 'mechanism' of aid recently created is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people. It's a death trap, costing more lives than it saves," Lazzarini declared Tuesday in Berlin. On site, the GHF is nicknamed "the humiliating Foundation of Gaza," as this is what the Palestinians in Gaza "feel at the moment," he added.

Kheetan warned against "scenes of chaos around the GHF's food distribution points."

Since the organization began operating, "the Israeli army has bombed and shot Palestinians trying to reach distribution points, resulting in numerous casualties," he stated. He indicated that "more than 410 Palestinians are reported to have been killed as a result ... by the Israeli army" while "at least 93 others are also reported to have been killed by the Israeli army as they tried to approach the scarce aid convoys from the U.N. and other humanitarian organizations."

The U.N. is verifying these figures, which come from Palestinian health authorities and other sources, including NGOs, he told AFP, noting that it is possible in both cases that others killed more people.

"At least 3,000 Palestinians were injured during these incidents," he added during the briefing. "The Israeli army must stop shooting at people trying to obtain food," Kheetan affirmed, also asking Israel "to allow the entry of food and other forms of humanitarian aid necessary for the survival of the Palestinians in Gaza."

"The illegal restrictions on the work of the U.N. and other humanitarian actors must be immediately lifted," he added.

The spokesperson also called on the international community to "take concrete measures to ensure that Israel, the occupying power in Gaza, respects its obligation to ensure the population receives enough food and essential products." "Humanitarian principles must be restored. The humanitarian community, including UNRWA, has the expertise and must be allowed to carry out its work," Lazzarini demanded.