Over the past month, hundreds of starving Palestinians seeking food have been killed and thousands more wounded at aid sites run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to Turkish state-run news agency Anadalou Agency.

The foundation’s controversial aid operations, launched in Gaza on May 27, have drawn intense global condemnation and legal scrutiny.

Marketed by the US and Israel as aid distribution centers, critics say these sites have become “death traps,” where starving Palestinians waiting for food have been systematically shot by Israeli forces. Nearly 550 Palestinians have been fatally shot at GHF sites, with another 39 missing and more than 4,000 injured, according to Gaza authorities.

UN official Olga Cherevko describes the situation as one where Palestinians who have “no choice but to risk their lives to basically survive … are instead getting a bullet to their head.”

“Our hospitals are receiving mass casualties, and they are already overwhelmed … and running extremely low on supplies, because a very small trickle of aid is only being allowed in currently,” Cherevko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, told Anadolu.

Israel has kept Gaza’s crossings largely closed to food, medical supplies, and humanitarian assistance during most of its ongoing genocidal war in the Palestinian enclave.

With hundreds of thousands facing famine and starvation, critics see the “inhumane” GHF aid distribution process as reminiscent of “concentration camps,” where civilians endure hours-long waits behind metal fences under the scorching sun.

A statement from the Gaza Government Media Office said starving Palestinian civilians are being “lured” into the aid centers and “deliberately gunned down on a daily basis according to pre-set schedules.”

“The occupation is using food as a weapon of mass killing, turning what it claims to be ‘aid’ into a tool of extermination and domination,” it said.

‘Accountability for these abhorrent incidents’

A month into its operations, the GHF has sparked sharp international opposition for bypassing established UN-led humanitarian channels.

Several international aid organizations, including UN agencies, have refused to work with the foundation, raising concerns ranging from its use of private contractors to its violations of humanitarian principles.

“We are not and cannot be part of any scheme that is not in line with humanitarian principles, and which puts people at risk and in danger,” Cherevko explained.

She emphasized that UN agencies have proven capable of delivering aid safely and effectively during previous ceasefires, underscoring that severe constraints imposed by Israel prevent effective assistance.

Citing the mounting death toll at aid sites, Cherevko urgently called for the protection of civilians and principled humanitarian action.

“We call for accountability for these abhorrent incidents, and again, the ultimate responsibility – as the occupying power – for public safety, protection of civilians, and ensuring humanitarian facilities can operate lies with the Israeli authorities,” she said.

The UN official also called for conditions allowing humanitarian agencies to effectively deliver aid, saving lives, and preventing avoidable deaths caused by shortages of antibiotics and basic trauma care supplies.

Possible complicity in war crimes

TRIAL International, a Geneva-based NGO, previously expressed concerns regarding GHF’s compliance with international humanitarian laws, specifically potential violations of the Geneva Conventions and basic humanitarian principles.

“The main concerns were that GHF’s participation in the Israeli aid plan may lead to de facto forced displacement of civilians to the south of Gaza, where the four distribution hubs are located so they can receive assistance,” TRIAL International explained in written comments to Anadolu.

Other concerns involve GHF’s breach of humanitarian neutrality and impartiality due to collaboration with Israeli authorities and armed forces, the dangerous precedent set by militarizing and privatizing humanitarian assistance, and the risks posed by private security contractors potentially using excessive force against civilians.

These risks materialized as early as the very first distribution organized by the GHF, the organization said.

“The UN … declared that hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured while desperately trying to receive aid, which shows that this model is not suitable for delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza,” it added.

Around 15 human rights organizations recently signed an open letter declaring that all individuals and entities involved in the GHF’s operations could potentially be complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity.

According to TRIAL International, if the distribution sites are used as a means for Israel to push for the transfer of civilians from the north to the south of Gaza, the leadership of the GHF “could be held civilly and criminally liable for having aided and abetted this war crime.”

“It should be noted that war crimes are not barred by statutes of limitations and can be prosecuted in dozens of countries around the world, so it is likely that legal cases will arise from the current situation,” it warned.

Calls to halt GHF operations

Aid workers and legal experts alike are demanding an immediate end to GHF’s activities in Gaza.

“The GHF has repeatedly shown during the three weeks of its operations that it is unable to deliver assistance in line with international law and humanitarian principles,” said TRIAL International.

“This scheme must immediately give way to the return of well-established humanitarian delivery mechanisms through the UN as well as international and Palestinian NGOs.”

However, the GHF seems likely to continue its controversial operations, with the US approving $30 million in funding for the foundation.

At a press conference on Thursday, State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott said the GHF was “absolutely incredible and should be commended and supported,” urging more nations to contribute to its funding.

UN official Cherevko, witnessing the unfolding humanitarian disaster firsthand, reiterated the urgency for aid delivery through UN agencies to be resumed.

“The only way to reverse out of this dead end is, ultimately, reinstating a ceasefire and allowing us to do our work the way that we have done here and in many other crises around the world,” she said.