The amnesty report says militarized Gaza aid system shows the continued use of hunger as a weapon of war
A new Amnesty International report says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S. and Israel-backed group, took over the distribution of aid on the territory a month ago – using a militarized aid mechanism that allows civilian hunger to cause genocide to the Palestinians.
The report collected testimony with medical staff on Thursday that children's parents were displaced due to malnutrition and worked to find food in war-torn enclaves.
“Their narrative provides evidence of the catastrophic pain caused by the ongoing restrictions on life-saving assistance and its deadly military aid programs as well as massive forced displacement, ruthless bombing and destruction of life-sustaining infrastructure,” amnesty said in the report.
Gaza's Ministry of Health said the latest report at least 45 Palestinians were killed overnight on Wednesday in order to seek assistance.
Five people were killed at an external location related to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), while other 40 people were killed elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
At least 20 people were killed in Israel's fire near an aid allocation site in Rafah on Monday and 200 others were injured, according to medical staff. The Gaza Ministry of Health said the deaths were the latest mass shooting, killing at least 300 Palestinians in the past few weeks.
The Israeli military said it is studying the report that its forces are taking precautions to mitigate harm to civilians as it fights Palestinian militants across Gaza.
CBC News contacted GHF for comment but did not hear it immediately.
Amnesty accuses Israel of turning aid visits into “Booby Trap”
According to the latest news from the Gaza Ministry of Health on Thursday, at least 650 Palestinians have been killed in the shooting since operations began in late May (the GHF conducts operations), and more than 4,500 people have been injured near GHF aid sites or on routes to sites guarded by Israeli forces.
Amnesty International said Israel “turned aid seekers into a clumsy trap for desperate Palestinians” through the GHF's military hub, creating “a deadly mixed condition of hunger and disease that pushes the population beyond the breakthrough point.”
“As the desperate Palestinians attempt to collect aid, this devastating daily death is a target of their intentional targeting Israeli forces and a foreseeable result of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution,” said Agnès Callamard, secretary general of amnesty International.
“Not only the international community has failed to stop this genocide, but it also allows Israel to constantly reinvent new ways to destroy Palestinian life in Gaza and trample on their human dignity.”
The report follows nearly 170 NGOs calling for the removal of the GHF-run assistance system, saying it forces Palestinians to become Between hunger and dangerin a joint statement Tuesday. GHF said on Wednesday it plans to close its branch in Geneva after Swiss authorities initiated a lawsuit to dissolve the lawsuit.
Israel's foreign minister condemned the amnesty report, saying the group “joined with Hamas and fully passed all its propaganda lies”.
Israeli troops said it had fired warning shots to control the crowds and acted only by saying to people suspiciously.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kogat, the Israeli defense agency responsible for Gaza's coordination of aid, said Israel has facilitated more than 3,000 aid trucks into the Gaza Strip since May 19.
Humanitarian groups say the number is not enough to meet the overwhelming demand in Gaza.
Global Hunger Monitor says 500,000 people in the Gaza Strip face hunger and the risk of famine is high by the end of September.
Israel strikes Pound Gaza overnight
Dozens were killed in air strikes that hit the siege Wednesday night and Thursday morning, including 15 attacks, attacks on tents in the sprawling Mavasi area, many displaced Palestinians were under shelter, and strikes on a school in Gaza City.
The Gaza Ministry of Health said that the number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has exceeded 57,000, of which 223 were missing persons declared dead.
The death was because Israel and Hamas were closer to a ceasefire that could end the 21-month war. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. However, Hamas' response highlighted its demands for the end of the war posed questions about whether the latest offer could be raised in actual pauses in combat.
Despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, the status of the latest ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains uncertain. The Israeli government insists on a ceasefire and hostage agreement, and Hamas says it is working on the proposal.
Israeli military blames Hamas for civilian casualties because it operates from densely populated areas. The military said it targeted Hamas militants and rocket launchers in northern Gaza, launching rockets to Israel on Wednesday.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when militants led by Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages.
The war has put Palestinian coastal territory in ruins and most of the cityscapes have flattened during the battle. More than 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people are displaced and are often displaced multiple times.
