Gaza starvation killings: UN says Israeli forces deliberately shot hungry civilians
The United Nations announced today that Israeli occupation forces intentionally opened fire on starving Palestinians waiting for food aid at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution points — killing 598 civilians who were simply trying to feed themselves.
Driving the news: The deadly attack adds to a growing number of atrocities in Gaza as famine, siege, and military strikes decimate the population. Thousands are wounded, and many more have reportedly died from hunger under what humanitarian observers call an "unrelenting and unlawful blockade."
UN officials described the mass killing as a deliberate act against vulnerable, unarmed civilians seeking food.
The attack occurred as crowds gathered at one of the few remaining aid distribution sites still functioning in Gaza.
What they're saying: Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a report today featuring testimonies from Israeli soldiers who admitted they had orders to open fire on the crowds, claiming the goal was to "regain control" over what they deemed an unmanageable situation.
The testimonies included chilling acknowledgments of firing into civilian groups — a potential violation of international law, according to legal experts.
Zoom out: This massacre comes amid increasing global outcry over what many international legal experts, journalists, and human rights organizations now openly call a genocide in Gaza.
With tens of thousands dead, and widespread documentation of starvation, displacement, and direct military targeting of civilian infrastructure, observers say no genocide in modern history has been so extensively documented or openly acknowledged — including by the perpetrators themselves.
Yet international response remains muted, with major powers blocking ceasefire resolutions and continuing arms shipments.
Yes, but: Despite mounting evidence, no meaningful accountability measures have yet been imposed on Israel by the international community — drawing criticism from human rights advocates and fueling protests globally.
The bottom line: As Gaza’s humanitarian collapse deepens, the international community faces growing pressure to not only intervene, but to stop enabling what many now describe as a genocide unfolding in real time.