NEW YORK (Palestine Foundation Information Center) UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned what he called the “unacceptable” killing of Palestinians seeking food in Gaza by Israeli occupation forces (IOF), calling for an immediate and independent investigation into the attacks.
His remarks were delivered through Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq during a press briefing at the UN headquarters in Geneva, as reported by the UN News service.
According to Palestinian sources, IOF opened fire Wednesday on civilians near food aid distribution points in the southern city of Rafah and in Al-Nuseirat in central Gaza, killing at least 13 and wounding more than 120 others.
A day earlier, 51 Palestinians were martyred and over 200 injured—20 of them critically—at the Tahlia Roundabout in Khan Yunis, where desperate civilians had gathered to access food aid said to be provided by the United States.
Haq quoted Guterres as saying, “The loss of life and injuries among civilians in Gaza, who are once again being fired upon while seeking food, is unacceptable.”
Guterres reiterated his call for an independent investigation and full accountability for what he described as attacks on civilians at food distribution centers. He also stressed the massive unmet needs of Palestinians in Gaza, calling for the immediate, large-scale, and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid.
He further urged that the United Nations and humanitarian organizations be granted safe and unhindered access to operate in Gaza in line with international humanitarian principles.
The Gaza Strip has been plunged into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe since March 2, when the Israeli occupation imposed a complete blockade, shutting all crossings and cutting off access to food, medicine, fuel, and humanitarian aid.
Since then, Gaza has faced an intensifying campaign of genocide through systematic starvation, denial of medical care, and mass killings.
The IOF repeatedly attacked aid distribution sites in Rafah and central Gaza, reportedly killing hundreds.
United Nations officials have pointed to a pattern of deliberate displacement, describing it as part of a broader campaign of ethnic cleansing.
Since May 27, when the occupation army began targeting aid recipients near so-called “relief zones,” over 350 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded.
Many of these attacks occurred near the “Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation”—an Israeli-American initiative widely condemned by international organizations—which has been accused of using aid as a pretext for surveillance and targeted killings.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has claimed the lives of approximately 184,000 people either killed or wounded—most of them women and children—while over 11,000 remain missing.
Hunger and forced displacement continue to escalate as vast swathes of Gaza are reduced to rubble.
