More than 610 killed around GHF aid distributions: UN

Some 613 people have been killed around aid distributions and convoys in Gaza since late May, including 509 near the USand Israel-backed GHF's sites, the United Nations said on Friday.

- 

An officially private effort, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations on May 26 after Israel halted supplies into the Gaza Strip for more than two months, sparking famine warnings.

GHF operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Israeli forces firing on people waiting to collect rations in the Palestinian territory, where the Israeli military is seeking to destroy Hamas.

"We have recorded 613 killings" near GHF distribution points and near humanitarian convoys since the GHF began operations, until noon on June 27, UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing.

"Of the 613 figure that I mentioned, 509 people killed were killed near the GHF distribution." The others were killed "near UN and non-UN convoys", she said.

Shamdasani said the figures were constantly evolving as the UN human rights office has received "further reports of killings since then that we are working to corroborate".

So far, the figure of "613 is corroborated by us", she said.

Shamdasani said the task was being made more difficult by lack of access to the Gaza Strip.