The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Thursday condemned Israel's fatal attacks on food aid points in Gaza which led to the death of children and women who were waiting for aid.
At least 15 children and women were killed and dozens wounded while waiting for food aid in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday in an Israeli airstrike, according to Palestinian medical sources.
Eyewitnesses said that the attack took place in an area designated by the Israeli army as "green and safe", where a queue of women and children were waiting to receive nutritional supplements for kids suffering from malnutrition and severe anemia caused by the continued Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid into the coastal enclave.
Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expressed deep concern over the killings and potential atrocity crimes.
"We've raised concerns about atrocity crimes having been committed and the risk of further atrocity crimes being committed. Where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine and where they are being attacked, where again, as my colleagues have said, they have a choice between being shot or being fed – this is unacceptable and it's continuing," she said.
As of July 7, the OHCHR had documented nearly 800 killings in aid distribution areas in Gaza, with the majority of these deaths occurring near the sites operated by U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
According to the OHCHR, the foundation took control of aid distribution in Gaza on May 27 despite opposition from the U.N. and most humanitarian groups.
"In the course of this conflict, we have had serious concerns about respect for international humanitarian law principles, essential principles of distinction, proportionality in attack. We have seen that of the overall death toll in Gaza, a large proportion are women and children. And again, that raises serious questions about whether these principles are being respected," she said.
UN human rights office condemns Israel's fatal attacks on Gaza food aid points
