GENEVA (Palestine Foundation Information Center) The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has condemned what it called “totally unacceptable violence” against starving Palestinians in Gaza trying to access humanitarian aid, calling for the immediate opening of border crossings to prevent further worsening of the humanitarian crisis.
In a statement released Thursday, the WFP said the attacks on civilians waiting for food violate basic human dignity and are deepening the already devastating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
The condemnation follows reports that more than 150 Palestinians were killed within 24 hours by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) while gathering at aid distribution sites. Hamas accused Israel of setting up “death traps” in various parts of Gaza, coordinated with the US and Israeli militaries, to target desperate civilians seeking food.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, since May 27, 2024—when the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation,” a US- and Israeli-backed group rejected by the UN, began operating distribution points—397 people have been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded.
The UN’s main aid agencies, including WFP, UNICEF, and UNRWA, have rejected any involvement with the group, citing concerns over safety, transparency, and humanitarian standards.
The WFP said it has only been able to deliver about 9,000 metric tons of food to Gaza over the last month, “a fraction” of what’s needed to feed the 2.1 million people now facing severe hunger. “This cannot go on,” the agency stated.
The UN food agency called for an immediate scale-up in aid access, including the opening of more border crossings, safer routes for aid convoys, faster approval of permits, and reliable communications with teams on the ground.
Gaza has been under a total blockade since October 7, 2023, as part of what many international observers and human rights groups have called a genocide carried out by Israel.
While thousands of trucks carrying essential supplies are stalled at the border, Israeli occupation authorities continue to allow only a small number through, worsening the crisis by the day.
Humanitarian groups estimate that Gaza needs at least 500 aid trucks per day to meet basic food and medical needs, but current deliveries fall far short.
Since late May, the IOF has rerouted aid drops to so-called “buffer zones” in central and southern Gaza under the Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation—an arrangement that the UN has refused to support due to safety and political concerns.
