GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Friday called for an immediate end to the Israeli blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
The agency warned that aid distribution points, currently managed under the supervision of the Israeli military, have effectively turned into “killing zones,” while thousands of children face severe malnutrition amid a catastrophic collapse of basic living conditions.
In an official statement, UNRWA stressed that the ongoing blockade is preventing essential food supplies from reaching the most vulnerable populations, constituting a direct violation of the basic human right to food and further worsening the deepening humanitarian crisis.
The agency urged unrestricted and large-scale entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including supplies facilitated by UNRWA itself, declaring this a life-saving necessity.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Director of Medical Relief told Al Jazeera that over 17,000 children are currently suffering from acute malnutrition and warned that many could die without immediate intervention. He added that the shortage of infant formula and medicines has led to the postponement of critical surgeries, as medical personnel face shortages and an absence of essential supplies.
Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, called for the formation of an international investigative committee to examine the deaths of hundreds of civilians while waiting for aid. He accused the current distribution mechanism of being a deliberate attempt to dismantle and discredit the humanitarian system.
In a report by The New York Times, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs described Gaza as “the hungriest place on Earth,” saying that aid distribution sites have become “death traps.” The paper also quoted a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, who condemned the daily killing of civilians attempting to access food.
Since March 2, Israel has imposed a total blockade on aid entry into Gaza, sealing all crossings to food, medicine, and humanitarian supplies. Local and international reports confirm a dramatic deterioration of conditions on the ground.
Since May 27, Israel and the United States have implemented a restricted aid distribution mechanism outside the supervision of the UN. This effort, operated through a controversial entity known as the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” has been accused of forcing civilians to choose between starvation and risking being shot by Israeli soldiers.
Aid is being distributed in designated “buffer zones” in southern and central Gaza, but the program has faced repeated breakdowns due to massive crowds of starving people and the Israeli military’s opening of fire on those waiting.
On Wednesday, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported that the so-called “Israeli-American aid mechanism” had resulted in 549 deaths and 4,066 injuries in just one month, most of the victims being civilians trying to access food.
