Geneva.- Up to 410 Palestinians have been killed since May 28 by the Israeli army at food distribution points organized by the controversial Humanitarian Foundation of Gaza, and another 93 died while trying to access the scarce aid distributed by the UN and other humanitarian organizations, the United Nations Office for Human Rights denounced this Tuesday.
At least 3,000 Palestinians have been injured in these incidents, in which "desperate and hungry Gazans were given the choice between starving to death or risking being killed while trying to obtain food," stated the office's spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan in a press conference, who recalled that the killing of unarmed civilians is a war crime.
Israel "must stop shooting at people trying to get food, and allow the entry of food and humanitarian aid respecting international law," he added.
The spokesperson emphasized that the killings in these circumstances must be investigated impartially, mentioning the possibility that the cases be brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN tribunal based in The Hague.
Al-Kheetan added that the Strip continues to be on the brink of famine as a result of the blockade imposed by Israel since the beginning of March, almost completely preventing the arrival of food except for that distributed by the aforementioned Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, with which the United Nations and other international organizations refuse to collaborate.
"The militarized Israeli aid distribution system contradicts international aid standards, endangering civilians and contributing to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza," Al-Kheetan said.
Converting the distribution of food into a weapon can also be considered a war crime, the spokesperson stated, who demanded that Israel lift the "illegal restrictions" on the work of the UN and other humanitarian actors in Gaza.
Spanish
