The United Nations said Friday it had documented at least 798 deaths over the past six weeks near humanitarian aid distribution sites in Gaza operated by the U.S.- and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and along aid convoy routes used by other relief organizations.
According to the UN rights office (OHCHR), 615 of those fatalities occurred near GHF sites and 183 along aid routes. The agency condemned GHF’s operations, calling its aid model “inherently unsafe” and in violation of basic humanitarian principles of impartiality.
“The people lining up at these sites are not combatants—they’re civilians desperate for food,” said OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani. “From May 27 to July 7, we’ve documented widespread gunshot wounds as the leading cause of death near these distribution hubs.”
The GHF began operating in Gaza at the end of May, shortly after Israel eased an 11-week blockade on aid. The foundation, which contracts private U.S. security and logistics companies, runs its own delivery system, largely circumventing the UN-led aid network. Israeli officials have accused the UN-backed system of allowing militants to siphon off supplies—a claim Hamas denies.
In a statement to Reuters, the GHF dismissed the UN’s death toll as “false and misleading,” maintaining that no deadly incidents have occurred at its sites and instead blaming UN convoys for the most lethal attacks. “The facts show that most violence has happened in connection with UN-run operations,” a GHF spokesperson said.
The Israeli military acknowledged civilian casualties near aid locations and said it is conducting reviews. It claimed it had taken steps to minimize interactions between aid seekers and Israeli troops by erecting fences, posting signs, and opening alternate access routes.
“Blanket Dismissals Are Not Helpful”
The UN rejected GHF’s denial of the casualty figures. “What’s needed is not a blanket dismissal but credible investigations into why civilians are dying trying to access food,” Shamdasani said.
The OHCHR said its casualty data comes from various sources, including hospitals, family reports, Palestinian health officials, local NGOs, and aid partners on the ground.
Israel has defended its presence near relief zones as necessary to prevent aid from being diverted to Hamas fighters. An IDF spokesperson stated, “After incidents involving harm to civilians at distribution points, thorough examinations were carried out by Southern Command,” adding that further investigations were ongoing.
Aid Delivery Amid Crisis
Despite the controversy, GHF says it has distributed more than 70 million meals across Gaza over the last five weeks. It claims that other humanitarian organizations have struggled to deliver aid due to frequent looting—either by Hamas or criminal groups.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has previously acknowledged reports of violent theft of supplies. The World Food Programme noted last week that most of its aid trucks entering Gaza were intercepted by desperate civilians.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas grinds into its 21st month, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains catastrophic. Much of the enclave lies in ruins, with an estimated 2.3 million residents displaced and critical shortages of food, water, and medicine.
