Displaced Palestinians gather to receive aid from a GHF aid distribution point at the so-called "Netzarim corridor" in the central Gaza Strip. AFP
“The dire humanitarian situation is a direct result of Israel’s use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of war – a war crime – as well as Israel’s continued intentional deprivation of aid and basic services, ongoing actions that amount to the crime against humanity of extermination, and acts of genocide,” read the report released Friday.
"The repeated use of lethal force against Palestinian civilians by Israeli forces, without justification, violates both international humanitarian and human rights law.... Regular killings by Israeli forces near GHF sites also amount to war crimes," it added.
The release of the damning report comes after nearly 22 months of Israel’s war on Gaza and a five-month blockade on food and essential supplies, which have driven Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians toward famine.
“Israeli forces are not only deliberately starving Palestinian civilians, but they are now gunning them down almost every day as they desperately seek food for their families,” said Belkis Wille, associate crisis and conflict director at HRW.
“US-backed Israeli forces and private contractors have put in place a flawed, militarized aid distribution system that has turned aid distributions into regular bloodbaths.”
GHF began operations in late May, bypassing the longstanding UN-led humanitarian system. Since then, Israeli troops have regularly fired on starving Palestinian civilians approaching GHF centres for food.
According to the UN, at least 1,373 Palestinians were killed as they tried to access food between 27 May and 31 July 2025, including 859 who were in the vicinity of GHF sites.
US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was expected in Gaza on Friday to inspect at least one GHF food distribution site, as international pressure mounts for Israel to fully lift its blockade and allow unfettered aid access for starving Palestinians.
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