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Civilians suffering from severe hunger in the Gaza Strip have come under heavy Israeli fire while attempting to access food at humanitarian aid distribution points, according to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
In a statement released Saturday, UNRWA cited the testimony of a Palestinian survivor of an Israeli strike on a food distribution center in Rafah.
The site had reportedly been established by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a body backed by the United States and Israel.
The agency said desperate Palestinians in search of food are being exposed to live fire and bombardments at so-called “safe zones” where humanitarian aid is allegedly being distributed.
Many are forced to return home empty-handed, it added, after surviving direct assaults.
“Starving civilians face life-threatening risks simply by trying to access food,” the statement warned.
UNRWA emphasized the urgent need to resume secure and coordinated humanitarian aid deliveries, stressing that such operations should be conducted exclusively through established U.N. agencies, including UNRWA itself.
According to the Media Office in Gaza, between May 27 and June 6, Israeli forces carried out repeated attacks on Palestinians gathered at these distribution zones.
The reported toll includes at least 110 fatalities and 583 injuries. The bodies of nine individuals remain missing.
Since late May, Israel has launched intensified operations across Rafah, targeting what it says are Hamas positions.
The offensive has drawn widespread international concern due to the rising civilian death toll and the worsening humanitarian crisis.
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