The head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, has delivered a scathing indictment of the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza, accusing Israel of executing a deliberate plan of suffering and displacement.
In a post on X, Lazzarini described Gaza as “the graveyard of children and starving people,” as nearly 800 Palestinians have reportedly died since May while seeking humanitarian aid.
Among the casualties are 15 individuals—including nine children—who were killed on Thursday as they queued for nutritional supplements in Deir el-Balah.
Another 11 were reported dead near an aid distribution point operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Rafah. The GHF, backed by Israel and the United States, has largely replaced UN-led aid efforts and come under criticism for its role in the escalating crisis.
UN reports confirm that 819 people have died while attempting to receive food—634 of them near GHF sites.
Israeli and US contractors working with the GHF have allegedly admitted to shooting unarmed civilians at these locations, according to investigations by Haaretz and the Associated Press.
UN officials have expressed mounting concern, with Ravina Shamdasani of the UN Human Rights Office noting that hundreds have perished near aid convoys. Meanwhile, Carl Skau of the World Food Programme (WFP), fresh off a visit to Gaza, declared the conditions “the worst he has ever seen.”
In a troubling development, Israel is advancing plans to build a so-called “humanitarian city” in Rafah, which analysts liken to a concentration camp.
Satellite images reveal large-scale demolitions, suggesting preparations for mass relocation. Defence Minister Israel Katz indicated the site may eventually house all 2.1 million Gazans.
British-Israeli analyst Daniel Levy warned that the positioning of aid sites reflects a broader effort at “social-demographic engineering,” a move he likened to a second Nakba—the 1948 mass displacement of Palestinians.
Despite GHF claims that it is “reinventing” aid delivery, critics say its approach is worsening the crisis. For many in Gaza, survival teeters daily between hunger and gunfire.
Source: Al Jazeera
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