The Gaza Hunger Trap: When Aid Became a Death Sentence
Palestinian authorities hold Israel and the U.S. responsible for war crimes after deadly ambushes at alleged aid distribution sites in central Gaza and Rafah.
Palestine, PUREWILAYAH.COM - The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported on Sunday that at least 37 Palestinians were killed and 136 injured in the past 24 hours as Israeli bombardments intensified across the Gaza Strip.
The updated toll brings the number of Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, to 54,418, with 124,190 more wounded, in what Palestinian officials describe as a genocidal military campaign.
Massacres at Alleged Aid Sites Spark Global Outcry
The spike in casualties follows two consecutive attacks on areas designated for humanitarian relief.
On Sunday morning, Israeli occupation forces, reportedly operating alongside an American security firm, opened fire on thousands of civilians gathered near the Wadi Gaza Bridge under the pretext of distributing aid.
The crowd—composed mostly of hungry, displaced Palestinians—had assembled in the hope of receiving food and basic supplies.
Just hours later, a second massacre occurred in the Al-Alam area of Rafah, where at least 31 were killed and more than 200 injured, including many in critical condition.
Gaza Officials: Aid Used as “Weapon of War”
In response to the attacks, the Government Media Office in Gaza issued a scathing statement condemning the so-called aid centers as “mass death traps” rather than genuine humanitarian relief points. The office accused Israel of systematically using aid as a military tactic, with direct financial and political support from the U.S. government.
“These sites are not humanitarian in nature,” the office stated. “They are a direct extension of a military strategy used to conceal the occupation’s broader security agenda under the facade of relief work.”
The statement further alleged that these locations are managed and monitored by the Israeli military, and serve as deliberate kill zones to force starving civilians into exposure and then target them.
Victims Executed, Not Controlled
The Ministry of Health reported a disturbing pattern among the victims: each individual admitted to hospitals had sustained a single gunshot wound to the head or chest, indicating what officials describe as execution-style killings rather than crowd control.
With the surge in casualties, Gaza’s hospitals—crippled by months of siege and lack of resources—are reaching breaking point. Emergency departments are overwhelmed, and shortages of surgical tools, ICU units, and blood supplies have rendered medical staff unable to handle the escalating humanitarian disaster.
NGOs Warn of Militarized Aid Zones
Amjad Al-Shawa, Director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, said that aid centers have become militarized zones serving both Israeli and American interests.
“People who went out in search of food returned to their families as corpses,” Al-Shawa said. “We are witnessing the worst humanitarian crisis Gaza has ever faced.”
Resistance Factions Demand International Action
Palestinian resistance groups, including those operating in Rafah, Al-Mawasi, and the Nuseirat–Netzarim corridor, condemned the attacks as compound war crimes, placing full and direct responsibility on both Israel and the U.S. administration.
The Popular Resistance Committees issued a statement demanding immediate intervention from the United Nations and the Security Council, and called for the formation of an independent international investigative committee.
They urged humanitarian institutions to restore proper aid mechanisms and uphold their obligations under international law.
“This constitutes a war crime, for which the U.S. administration bears full and direct responsibility,” the group said, reflecting growing Palestinian outrage over perceived American complicity in what they describe as an ongoing genocide. (PW)
Source: Al-Mayadeen