UN Confirms Nearly 798 Killed During Gaza Aid Distributions
GENEVA The United Nations Human Rights Office said Friday that at least 798 people have been killed in Gaza while seeking humanitarian assistance, including 615 near US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites and 183 along aid convoy routes.
The aid sites are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a body backed by the US and Israel. GHF uses private American security and logistics firms to deliver aid, often circumventing the UN-led humanitarian coordination system, which Israel has criticized for allowing aid diversion by militants.
The UN has condemned the approach, calling it “inherently unsafe” and a breach of the core humanitarian principle of impartiality.
“As of July 7, we’ve recorded 798 civilian deaths linked to humanitarian aid access — 615 at or near GHF distribution locations, and 183 likely along convoy routes,” said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), during a press briefing in Geneva.
Despite mounting reports and criticism, the GHF — which began aid operations in Gaza at the end of May continues to deny any casualties occurred at its sites.
