The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights condemned Israel’s military tactics in Gaza, stating they are inflicting “horrific and unacceptable suffering.”
According to local sources, Israeli occupation forces opened fire and shelled Palestinians marching north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza as they sought food aid.
Additional Israeli bombardments were reported in the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, Al-Sikka Street east of Gaza City, and Al-Matahen area southeast of Deir al-Balah.
The Government Media Office in Gaza updated the death toll from Israeli attacks on food aid seekers, reporting that since May 27, at least 300 Palestinians have been killed and 2,649 wounded, with nine still missing.
These attacks occurred near distribution centers operating under the so-called “American-Israeli mechanism” in areas including Rafah and Wadi Gaza. The media office described these centers as “death traps” set up to lure desperate civilians into zones of lethal targeting.
The controversial aid plan, launched by Israel and the United States through the “Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation,” began operating on May 27 without the oversight of the United Nations or international humanitarian organizations. The initiative has been publicly rejected by the UN.
Meanwhile, Israel continues to block the entry of aid trucks through Gaza’s border crossings, with humanitarian convoys stranded since March 2.
Communications Blackout
In a separate development, the Palestinian Telecommunications Company reported a complete outage of internet and landline services in central and southern Gaza due to ongoing Israeli attacks. The Gaza Government Media Office confirmed this marks the tenth deliberate communication blackout, accusing Israel of trying to obscure the scale of the humanitarian crisis and prevent the world from witnessing its consequences.
In recent days, northern Gaza experienced a four-day communication cutoff, while southern areas were disconnected for two days. The outages resulted from the destruction of major lines connecting the central telecommunications infrastructure. Nearly two million Palestinians were isolated from the outside world. Israel reportedly denied access to repair teams for several days until technicians secured permits.
Israel Using Food as a Weapon
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated that Israel’s military campaign is causing disproportionate suffering to Gaza’s civilian population. He accused Israel of weaponizing food and urged an independent investigation into the targeting of Palestinians near aid distribution sites.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023, has now reached 55,432, with another 128,923 wounded.
Since the launch of its war on Gaza, Israel has pursued a campaign characterized by mass killings, starvation, widespread destruction, and forced displacement—actions described by many observers as genocidal and carried out in defiance of international demands, including legally binding orders from the International Court of Justice.
The ongoing war, backed by the United States, has resulted in over 184,000 Palestinians killed or wounded—most of them children and women—alongside more than 11,000 missing, hundreds of thousands displaced, and a famine that continues to claim lives, particularly among children.
Source: The Palestine Chronicle
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