Israel kills nearly 600 Palestinians at aid centres: All you need to know

Since May 27, astatine slightest 583 Palestinians person been killed and 4,186 injured portion waiting for nutrient astatine assistance organisation sites operated by the Israeli- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to the Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health.

The killings person occurred regular arsenic famine looms implicit the besieged enclave. International organisations person warned for weeks that Gaza’s 2.1 cardinal residents look catastrophic nutrient shortages with markets emptied, cleanable h2o scarce, and assistance deliveries sporadic and dangerous.

In the archetypal 8 days of the GHF’s operation, much than 100 radical were killed by gunfire from Israeli forces.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said the GHF remains the lone root of nutrient successful the Strip arsenic Israel continues to spot terrible restrictions connected the introduction of supplies by different groups.

“A batch of radical present are trying to enactment distant from the GHF’s centres due to the fact that of the information progressive successful going to them due to the fact that of the ongoing and deliberate shootings of assistance seekers there,” Mahmoud said. “But again, staying distant is not an reply due to the fact that if determination are nary nutrient parcels, it means that children are going to spell to furniture hungry.”

Where are the assistance organisation sites?

While the erstwhile United Nations-led organisation web operated astir 400 sites crossed the Strip, the GHF, guarded by equipped backstage information contractors moving for a US company, has acceptable up lone 4 “mega-sites”, 3 successful the southbound and 1 successful cardinal Gaza – nary successful the north, wherever conditions are astir severe.

[Al Jazeera]

GHF centres run irregularly, sometimes opening for conscionable an hour. In 1 instance, a tract announced its opening connected Facebook, lone to station 8 minutes aboriginal that supplies had already tally out.

The centres relation connected a first-come, first-served basis, often fostering chaos arsenic hopeless crowds combat implicit constricted resources.

How bash radical entree these assistance organisation sites?

Accessing these centres is perilous. Palestinians indispensable sometimes locomotion galore kilometres done progressive combat zones, navigate biometric checkpoints and transportation dense provisions backmost to their families.

The strategy successful effect excludes the astir susceptible – including the elderly, injured and disabled radical – who are slightest capable to marque the journeys.

What’s successful the boxes?

The assistance boxes themselves hardly conscionable subsistence needs. While the World Food Programme recommends 2,100 calories per idiosyncratic per day, Israel has capped assistance astatine 1,600.

GHF parcels connection somewhat much – astir 1,750 calories – but autumn acold abbreviated of nutritional requirements and incorporate nary cleanable water, medicine, blankets oregon fuel. For many, receiving a container is not alleviation but a uncommon changeable of luck.

Al Jazeera analogous Hind al-Khoudary reported from Gaza that the rations connection small to prolong families for long.

She described a emblematic GHF container arsenic containing 4kg (8.8lb) of flour, a mates of bags of pasta, 2 cans of fava beans, a battalion of beverage bags and a fewer biscuits. Some parcels see lentils and tiny portions of crockery mix, but quantities are minimal.

Are assistance seekers being deliberately shot?

According to Israel’s Haaretz newspaper, which quoted unnamed Israeli soldiers, troops were told to occurrence astatine the crowds of Palestinians and usage unnecessary lethal unit against radical who appeared to airs nary threat.

“We fired machineguns from tanks and threw grenades,” 1 worker told Haaretz. “There was 1 incidental wherever a radical of civilians was deed portion advancing nether the screen of fog.”

In different instance, a worker said betwixt “one and 5 radical were killed each day” successful the country of Gaza wherever the worker is stationed.

“It’s a sidesplitting field,” that worker said.

What is the GHF?

Before the warfare began connected October 7, 2023, astir 500 trucks carrying humanitarian assistance entered Gaza daily. That changed erstwhile Israel launched its warfare connected the enclave. Aid deliveries plummeted to less than 80 trucks a day, and successful March, Israel halted them altogether during a astir three-month blockade connected each supplies.

On May 27, the GHF took implicit assistance operations arsenic a backstage contractor, introducing a caller transportation strategy extracurricular the accepted UN framework.

The organisation, acceptable up this twelvemonth successful the US, was described by The New York Times paper arsenic “an Israeli brainchild” – portion of a longer-term strategy conceived successful 2023 arsenic Israel began readying for Gaza’s future.

The GHF has not publically disclosed its backing sources. It said it has secured $100m successful commitments though details stay vague. The US Department of State precocious pledged $30m successful support.

How are Gaza’s children affected?

UNICEF has warned that child malnutrition successful Gaza is rising astatine an “alarming rate”.

In May alone, astatine slightest 5,119 children betwixt six months and 5 years aged were admitted to hospitals for attraction for acute malnutrition – a astir 50 percent summation from April and a 150 percent surge from February erstwhile a impermanent ceasefire allowed for greater assistance access.

“In conscionable 150 days from the commencement of the twelvemonth until the extremity of May, 16,736 children – an mean of 112 each time – person been admitted for treatment,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s determination manager for the Middle East and North Africa.

“Every 1 of these cases is preventable. The food, h2o and nutrition treatments they desperately request are being blocked from reaching them. These are man-made decisions that are costing lives,” helium added.

Of 19 documented deadly incidents involving nutrient assistance distribution, children were among the casualties successful much than half, underscoring the vulnerability of Gaza’s youngest residents.

Palestinians question connected a way known arsenic the ‘road of death’ to person nutrient parcels contempt Israeli shelling and the menace of snipers successful Khan Younis, Gaza, connected June 28, 2025 [Doaa Albaz/Anadolu]

How is Israel threatening the radical of Gaza with starvation?

One successful 5 Palestinians successful the Gaza Strip is facing starvation due to the fact that of Israel’s assistance blockade. The chaos astatine assistance organisation points underscores the staggering level of hunger gripping Gaza.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, 1.95 cardinal radical – 93 percent of the enclave’s colonisation – are facing acute nutrient shortages.

Certain governorates are experiencing much terrible levels of hunger, namely successful bluish Gaza.

The IPC said Israel’s continued blockade “would apt effect successful further wide displacement wrong and crossed governorates” arsenic items indispensable for people’s endurance volition beryllium depleted.