SAEDNEWS: Human Rights Watch said the Israeli regime is committing war crimes through systematic killings of starving civilians at food distribution centers in Gaza, amid a deepening humanitarian catastrophe compounded by Western-backed military control over aid routes.
HRW on Friday accused Israel of war crimes for targeting Palestinian civilians near food aid sites and for collectively punishing the population through blockade, starvation, and denial of basic services.
According to HRW, multiple mass killings have taken place near aid points run by the US- and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since May.
Israeli occupation forces claimed they merely provide security "in proximity" and allow the GHF to operate “independently,” a claim flatly contradicted by eyewitnesses and the mounting civilian death toll.
In one of the most brutal incidents this week, 58 Palestinians were shot dead near the Zikim aid site, with another 14 slain in Muraj in southern Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The Israeli military responded by saying it fired “warning shots” — a narrative frequently used to whitewash deliberate killings of unarmed civilians, including children, who gather in desperation to collect food.
Despite Israeli efforts to deflect blame by accusing Hamas of attacking food lines for propaganda purposes, HRW's findings point to a coordinated and militarized Israeli campaign of mass starvation and lethal force.
"Israeli forces are not only deliberately starving Palestinian civilians, but they are now gunning them down almost every day as they desperately seek food for their families," said Belkis Wille, HRW's associate crisis and conflict director.
She added, “US-backed Israeli forces and private contractors have put in place a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.”
HRW called on governments to pressure Israel to end its deadly crowd control tactics, open unrestricted humanitarian access, and dismantle the current GHF system.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army absurdly accused Hamas of “preventing aid delivery” and claimed to be “minimizing friction” by reorganizing checkpoints and access routes.
As starvation tightens its grip on the besieged enclave, at least 159 people — including 90 children — have died from malnutrition, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The UN and aid organizations have warned that Israel's 11-week full blockade earlier this year created famine-like conditions.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the accusations, calling them a “bold-faced lie,” insisting falsely that “there is no starvation in Gaza.”
However, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification contradicted him this week, stating: “The worst-case scenario of famine is playing out in the Gaza Strip.”
A USAID analysis further weakened Israeli claims, finding no substantial evidence that Hamas was responsible for significant aid diversion.
Despite these findings, US officials continue to support the failed GHF operation.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ambassador Mike Huckabee toured Gaza Friday in a PR maneuver disguised as aid oversight.
“Today, we spent over five hours inside Gaza,” Witkoff wrote on X, claiming to assess conditions for US President Donald Trump’s future aid policies.
Hamas senior official Izzat al-Risheq dismissed the visit, stating: “Witkoff's visit to Gaza is nothing but a publicity stunt aimed at containing the growing outrage over the US-Israeli partnership in starving our people.”
“Witkoff sees in Gaza only what the occupation wants him to see, viewing the ongoing tragedy through a misleading Israeli lens,” al-Risheq said.
