Gaza: More than 170 non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, the Norwegian Refugee Council, and Amnesty International, have called for the dismantling of the food aid distribution mechanism in the Gaza Strip, over concerns that it is putting civilians at risk of death and injury. "Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families," the organizations said in a statement.
According to Qatar News Agency, the organizations have urged countries worldwide to pressure Israel to halt the current Gaza humanitarian fund's plan and restore the UN-coordinated aid distribution system. The lack of UN oversight has drawn significant international criticism, with many human rights organizations describing the current mechanism as a "death trap" due to the repeated targeting of civilians by the Israeli occupation as they seek food.
In a related development, Doctors Without Borders reported in a video conference that two of its small primary healthcare centers received 22 dead and 548 wounded over the past month, with fatalities resulting from chest and abdominal wounds.
Rachel Cummings, the Humanitarian Director for Save the Children in Gaza, highlighted the dire impact on children, stating that more than 50% of mass casualty incidents near food distribution sites involve children being shot and killed. "Children have told us they want to die... to be with their mother or father who have been killed. They want to be in paradise because there is food and water," Cummings added.