Killing Under Aid Camouflage: Gaza Starves Under Israel’s Watchful Guns
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A controversial aid initiative backed by the Israeli regime and the US has come under heavy criticism following deadly violence at a food distribution point in Gaza, raising concerns over the use of humanitarian aid as a tool for control and surveillance.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a recently launched so-called aid group supported by the US and Israel, has been accused of undermining core humanitarian principles while selectively distributing aid in the war-torn enclave.
The group’s logistics partner, Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), lacks experience in humanitarian work and has instead been linked to military and intelligence operations.
According to Israeli outlet Ynet News, SRS is involved in “operating roadblocks, processing visual data from cameras, drones and satellites, and identifying Hamas operatives.”
Critics argue that these practices run counter to the internationally recognized principles of humanitarian action: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
Aid distribution centers were set up in areas such as Tel Sultan in Rafah and the Netzarim Corridor near Gaza City.
While the official justification is to prevent aid from reaching Hamas, observers claim the locations were selected for purposes of population control, displacement, and surveillance.
The Israeli Forces confirmed the centers were established “over the last few months, facilitated by the Israeli political echelon and in coordination with the US government.”
Notably, experienced aid agencies such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have been sidelined.
Israel has long sought to curtail UNRWA’s role in Gaza, accusing it of bias—a claim the agency denies.
On May 27, thousands of desperate Palestinians gathered at a distribution site in Rafah, leading to chaos as supplies reportedly ran short.
GHF staff said they had delivered 8,000 food boxes before retreating from the site.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, killing 10 people and injuring 62 others.
The office claimed the sites were turned into “death traps under the occupation’s gunfire.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that its field hospital received 48 patients with gunshot wounds, including women and children.
The Israeli Military initially denied using live ammunition, stating that only warning shots were fired outside the compound.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the incident as a “loss of control momentarily.”
An unnamed Israeli Military official described the broader aid delivery operation as a success.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, criticized the episode during remarks in Tokyo, calling it “chaotic, undignified and unsafe.”
He said the operation wasted resources and diverted attention from “atrocities,” noting that UNRWA previously ran up to 400 distribution centers in Gaza before being sidelined.
Francesca Albanese, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, condemned it as “a brutal humanitarian camouflage.”
“This is a deliberate strategy—aimed at masking atrocities, displacing the displaced, bombing the bombarded,” she said.
According to Albanese, the aid model is being used to “divert international attention from legal accountability,” and undermines the foundations of international humanitarian law.
She reiterated her call for international sanctions.
“The time for sanctions is now, as Israeli politicians continue to call for the extermination of babies while over 80 percent of Israeli society, according to Israeli media, supports the forcible removal of Palestinians from Gaza,” she said.
Following the events, GHF’s executive director, Jake Wood, resigned.
In a statement, Wood said the foundation had failed to uphold “the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”
Despite the resignation, GHF staff expressed intent to continue their operations.
“Our trucks are loaded and ready to go,” one official said, adding that the foundation plans “to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead.”
Critics warn that more such “humanitarian camouflage” may lie ahead.
