Israel’s New Aid Distribution Mechanism in Gaza Is A Tool for Starvation and Dehumanization

Gaza, 31 May 2025 – With Gaza’s civilian population already on the brink of famine, Israel has escalated its use of starvation as a weapon of war by imposing a new aid distribution system. This comes after more than 19 consecutive months of genocide and nearly 90 days of a complete blockade on life-saving humanitarian aid – conditions that have left over two million Palestinians in Gaza in a state of catastrophic deprivation.

Instead of allowing United Nations agencies and established humanitarian actors to resume their relief operations, the Israeli authorities – backed by the United States – have entrusted the delivery of aid to a newly formed body known as the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF). Operating under Israeli control, this entity has been deliberately designed to manipulate the humanitarian response, entrench the use of starvation as a weapon, and violate the most basic standards of humanitarian practice.

This mechanism appears not to have been based on the core principles of humanitarian action: humanity, neutrality, transparency, and impartiality. It fails to guarantee fair access to aid, especially for the majority of Palestinians, who are unable to travel long distances due to the lack of transportation and severe physical exhaustion. Those who manage to reach the distribution points are herded through barbed-wire corridors in scenes disturbingly reminiscent of the treatment of civilians during the Nazi era.

The imposition of this mechanism appears to be a calculated effort to deflect international pressure on Israel to allow the free and unhindered entry of essential humanitarian supplies – including food, medicine, and fuel – into Gaza. By showcasing the limited distribution of food parcels, Israel seeks to create the illusion that the humanitarian needs of Gaza’s population are being adequately addressed. In reality, it continues to block the entry of fuel required to operate critical infrastructure, while essential medicines remain nearly impossible to obtain.

Beyond the misleading optics, the reality on the ground is a deeply flawed and dehumanizing system. Rather than upholding dignity, this mechanism degrades it. Aid is not distributed based on verified needs or official records. Instead, it is provided arbitrarily to whoever manages to reach the distribution sites, often allowing multiple members of the same family to receive aid while others receive nothing. This system is blatantly unfair and disorganized. oOn multiple occasions, Israeli forces have opened fire on crowds of starving civilians who had gathered in desperation to receive aid, killing and injuring many, and they have detained others. Far from being a humanitarian response, this mechanism has become a source of pain, humiliation, and further suffering, stripping Palestinians of their basic rights.

In stark contrast to previous aid systems managed by UNRWA, the World Food Programme, and other credible humanitarian agencies – which relied on beneficiary lists, household data, and community proximity – this new model is disorganized, unsafe, and degrading.

According to Al Mezan’s field follow-up, on the morning of 27 May 2025, hundreds of displaced Palestinians gathered at a newly established aid distribution site next to Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital in Tal Al-Sultan area, southwest Rafah. This followed announcements by Israeli forces about the launch of the GHF and the circulation of images of individuals purportedly receiving food parcels in western Rafah.

Despite extreme exhaustion, the absence of transport, and the high risks involved, many walked several kilometers to reach the site, located in an area under full Israeli military control. Upon arrival, they were directed through fenced-off pathways to the distribution area, where only limited basic food items were available.

According to eyewitness accounts, the distribution was conducted without any registration or verification procedures. Shortly after a few parcels were distributed, thousands of people surged toward the site, triggering a stampede and widespread chaos, which ultimately forced the distribution staff to withdraw from the site. Immediately after, Israeli forces opened fire with live ammunition, directly and indiscriminately targeting the crowd. Approximately 50 civilians sustained varying degrees of injury and were transferred to the International Red Cross field hospital. One of the injured died from his wounds the following morning, on 28 May 2025.

Despite the clear failure of this mechanism and its blatant flouting of humanitarian standards, Israeli forces announced plans to continue operations at three distribution points in southern and central Gaza. This decision shows complete disregard for the suffering of a population already enduring extreme hunger, trauma, and displacement since October 2023.

Further field data from Al Mezan’s shows that on 28–29 May 2025, Israeli forces allowed groups of civilians to access locations designated as distribution points, situated in unsafe and unprepared areas west of Rafah and along the Netzarim corridor. Only limited quantities of food parcels were left without oversight or clear distribution criteria. Thousands of civilians arrived, and the lack of organization resulted in stampedes and chaos as people scrambled to receive aid. Thousands more, despite enduring the long and difficult journey, received nothing.

A 19-year-old Palestinian youth, living with his family in a severely damaged home in Khan Younis, shared the following testimony:

“At around 06:00 a.m. on Thursday, 29 May 2025, I set out on foot with my father and neighbors toward the Mirage area in Rafah, hoping to get a food parcel. The center was over eight kilometers away. Along the way, I saw thousands of people – including children, women, and elderly people of all ages. Many were barefoot and wearing torn clothes, their faces pale from hunger and exhaustion.

After more than an hour and a half of walking, we reached the center. I saw two Israeli army cranes, three tanks on nearby sand dunes, drones flying above, and tens of thousands crowded at the gate. At about 08:30 a.m., the gate opened, and people began shouting and pushing violently. I heard gunfire from the tanks but kept trying to move forward. After over an hour of struggling through the crowd, I reached a narrow corridor leading to the distribution yard. People were suffocating, falling, and being trampled on.

When I finally made it inside, everything was gone. I managed to pick up a small amount of sugar from the ground and put it in my pocket. On my way back, I saw a woman, around 50 or 60 years old, collapse. She was trembling and said she had diabetes and high blood pressure. I gave her the sugar. I also saw wounded civilians being transported on donkey carts. I counted about seven injured people, including several children. Three of them were motionless. One was bleeding from his neck, another from his stomach. I don’t know how long we will survive hunger, this suffering, this chaos…”

Testimonies collected by Al Mezan’s field researchers reinforce the fact that the current aid distribution mechanism blatantly violates humanitarian standards. It serves as a tool of coercion and control, facilitating the geographic and demographic reengineering of Gaza’s population. Starvation is being weaponized as a means to forcibly displace Palestinians – a strategy Israeli authorities have openly admitted, stating that restricting aid is intended to push residents of Gaza City and the north to flee southward.

Field information also points to dozens of missing persons, with social media platforms now overwhelmed by appeals from families searching for loved ones who had left in search of aid and never returned. These cases add to the mounting toll of injuries and deaths resulting from this inhumane system.

Al Mezan strongly condemns Israel’s ongoing genocide and its systematic use of starvation as a weapon against civilians in Gaza. Al Mezan calls on the international community to take urgent and meaningful action to end the genocide and lift the blockade. Ensuring safe, consistent, and unconditional access to humanitarian aid is not only a moral and humanitarian imperative; it is a legal obligation incumbent upon all states.

Humanitarian aid must not be subject to political conditions or negotiations. It should be governed exclusively by humanitarian principles aimed at protecting civilian life and dignity. Any attempt to politicize aid access amounts to condoning the use of starvation as a tool for political gain, making the international community complicit in this crime.

Al Mezan also urges all states to support the United Nations and its specialized agencies in sustaining their life-saving efforts in Gaza and to firmly reject any efforts to discredit or undermine their role. Such claims are baseless and unsupported by any evidence on the ground.