Nearly 800 killed near Gaza food points since end of May, UN says

At least 798 people have been killed while seeking food at distribution points operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and other providers since the end of May, the UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Friday.

- William Christou Beirut Malak A Tantesh Gaza

The GHF, proposed by Israel as an alternative to the UN aid system in Gaza, has been almost universally condemned by rights groups for its violation of the principles of humanitarian impartiality and what they have said could be complicity in war crimes.

Ravina Shamdasani, the OHCHR spokesperson, told reporters in Geneva: "Up until 7 July, we've recorded now 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and 183 presumably on the route of aid convoys."

Israel backed the GHF after claiming that Hamas had been diverting aid from the UN-led aid system, a claim for which the UN said there was no evidence. The private company employs American mercenaries to oversee four food distribution zones, as opposed to the previous 400 non-militarised zones run under the UN system.

The GHF claimed the UN figures were "false and misleading" and denied that deadly incidents occurred at its sites. "The fact is the most deadly attacks on aid sites have been linked to UN convoys," a GHF spokesperson said.

In Gaza, the GHF has become infamous for the near-daily shootings of people seeking food who have queued to receive meals since the group started operating in early May.

Palestinians seeking food have to navigate a complicated set of instructions and stick to specific routes, as well as walk long distances to access the food sites. Even then there is no guarantee they will be safe.