Diplomat from the United States embarks on a visit to Gaza amid escalating concerns over looming starvation
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a joint American-Israeli effort established in 2025, has been at the centre of a contentious humanitarian aid mission in Gaza. The foundation, backed by the United States, delivers over one million meals a day in Gaza, but the aid provided has been criticised as insufficient and potentially dangerous for the Palestinian population.
The GHF's food distribution centers were created amid an 11-week Israeli blockade that severely restricted food entry. The aim was to provide limited humanitarian aid, with the stated intention of preventing Hamas from diverting aid. However, local Palestinians and independent reports have criticised the aid boxes as inadequate, lacking essentials such as cooking fuel, clean water, baby formula, and medical supplies.
The locations of the distribution sites in conflict zones have also raised safety issues. Repeated incidents of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shooting at unarmed crowds trying to access the aid centers have led to numerous civilian casualties. According to the Gaza Health Ministry and UN sources, dozens of Palestinians were killed and many injured during these incidents, with some videos and eyewitness reports contradicting official Israeli statements.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that by mid-July 2025, approximately 875 Gazans had died trying to obtain food, with 674 deaths occurring around GHF sites. This near-systematic pattern has contributed to allegations that the Israeli military is using starvation as a weapon of war by imposing severe blockades and controlling aid distribution in ways that lead to civilian deaths.
The UN and Gaza authorities allege these events amount to war crimes, with the IDF shooting to "keep them away from food distribution centers". The Israeli military, however, maintains that the GHF operates independently, but Israeli soldiers operate in proximity to the new distribution areas.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has claimed the lives of over 60,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and threatens many more with famine. The UN rights office reported that Israeli forces had killed 1,373 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza since May 27, with 11 deaths on Friday alone. UN aid agencies have reported that deaths from starvation have begun in Gaza.
The situation is complex, with media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas preventing full verification of tolls and details provided by the civil defense and other parties. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul of Germany, a staunch Israeli ally, has urged the government to provide humanitarian and medical aid to prevent mass starvation in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has inspected a US-backed food distribution center in Gaza City and held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over resolving the ongoing conflict, feeding desperate civilians, and freeing hostages held by Palestinian militants. German-Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, 21, appeared in a video pleading with the Israeli government to secure his release, while 49 hostages, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military, remain held in Gaza.
The Israeli military is conducting a review of the reported deaths in Gaza, and the UN is under international pressure to end the ongoing conflict and ensure the delivery of adequate and safe humanitarian aid to the civilian population.
[1] Source: Amnesty International Report, "Gaza: A Humanitarian Crisis Created by War and Blockade" [2] Source: Human Rights Watch Report, "Israel/Gaza: Starvation as a Weapon of War" [3] Source: Al Jazeera News, "Gaza: The Humanitarian Crisis Worsens" [4] Source: UN OHCHR Report, "The Situation of Human Rights in Palestine and Other Occupied Arab Territories: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights"
- The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution of food, though backed by the United States, has been criticized for failing to include essential items like cooking fuel, clean water, baby formula, and medical supplies, which are crucial components of health-and-wellness and general-news topics.
- Reports from local Palestinians, the UN, and independent sources suggest that the locations of the food distribution centers in conflict zones, often the subject of crime-and-justice and politics discussions, have led to numerous civilian casualties, fueling allegations that the Israeli military's actions could potentially amount to war crimes.
- As the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's efforts strive to address issues related to science, specifically nutrition through delivering meals, the ongoing conflict and severe blockades, coupled with allegations of using starvation as a weapon of war, have left a significant number of Palestinians endangered in regard to health-and-wellness, crime-and-justice, and general-news domains.
