PBB: Since May 798 Palestinians Have Died While Queues For Assistance In Gaza

The displaced Palestinians took water near a temporary shelter in Gaza City, on July 7, 2025. (ANTARA)

JENEWA - At least 798 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military forces while they have been accessing humanitarian aid in Gaza since late May 2025, the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner's Office for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported on Friday.

A spokesman for the OHCHR office told reporters that 615 of them were killed in the vicinity of an aid distribution center operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since May 27, while another 183 were killed along the aid convoy route.

The alarming death toll comes amid growing world concerns over the distribution mechanism currently in effect in Gaza.

Earlier this July as many as 169 humanitarian organizations called for an end to the distribution system of aid led by the United States (US) and Israel, managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

They cited reports that Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid near the foundation's site.

The organizations are urging that the imposition of aid return to the UN-led mechanism, which operates in Gaza until March, as Israel tightens its blockade in the region.

Humanitarian aid to Gaza began to be allowed in stages since late May, but was distributed through the foundation. Many international aid groups refused to cooperate because of their relationship with Israeli authorities.

Through a joint statement, the humanitarian aid organizations criticized the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation for taking over the aid distribution process, warning that their operations had caused dangerous and deadly conditions for civilians.

The signing of the statement includes organizations from Europe, the US and Israel, engaged in food and medical aid, development and human rights (HAM).