At least 875 Palestinians have been killed over the past six weeks while trying to access humanitarian aid in Gaza, according to figures released Monday by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Of the total number of victims, 674 died near the distribution points of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), while another 201 were killed along the routes of humanitarian convoys organized by the United Nations and other agencies.
“Our data is based on our own information, collected through multiple reliable sources, including medical, humanitarian, and human rights organizations,” said OHCHR spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan during a press briefing in Geneva.
Violence around aid distribution centers has escalated rapidly. As of July 11, the UN had already documented 798 deaths near aid points between May 27 and July 7. That number has continued to rise amid ongoing Israeli air and ground strikes targeting areas where thousands of civilians are desperately seeking food for their families.
Since the GHF—a foundation backed by the United States and Israel—began operating in Gaza about six weeks ago, the risks for aid seekers have intensified. The UN has described the current aid distribution model as “inherently unsafe” and a violation of humanitarian neutrality principles.
These deaths come in addition to casualties from direct Israeli military strikes. On Tuesday alone, at least 20 people were killed in air raids, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, as reported by EFE news agency.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began distributing food parcels in late May after Israel partially lifted an 11-week blockade, denied any responsibility for the violent incidents. In statements to Reuters, the GHF accused the UN of spreading misinformation—an accusation the UN firmly rejects.
Last Friday, the GHF reported that it had delivered more than 70 million meals in five weeks and blamed Hamas and criminal gangs for looting most of the aid delivered by other humanitarian organizations.
However, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said last week that most aid trucks entering Gaza had been intercepted by “desperate, starving civilian communities,” not armed groups. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also cited several cases of violent looting during aid operations.
In response to growing scrutiny over civilian deaths at aid sites, the Israeli military has defended its use of force, claiming soldiers felt “threatened” by crowds. The UN has stressed that those approaching the aid centers are unarmed civilians in critical need of food. Despite Israel’s announcement in May of eased restrictions, humanitarian access remains severely limited, a situation that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government had already warned would remain tightly controlled.