United States announces food assistance plan for Gaza following diplomat's visit
In the war-torn region of Gaza, hundreds of Palestinians have lost their lives seeking essential aid since May 2025, primarily due to the violent circumstances surrounding limited and militarily controlled aid distribution sites operated by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The GHF, which has opened only four distribution sites in Gaza, has forced thousands of starving Palestinians to rush these few locations daily. The sites, located within Israeli-imposed military buffer zones and in destroyed areas under Israeli military control, have become deadly hotspots where Palestinian civilians face fire from Israeli troops and armed American private security contractors.
Key factors contributing to the deaths include the chaotic and violent conditions, the use of live fire, limited distribution points, and the military control and location of the sites. Desperate crowds and chaotic scenes exacerbate tensions, leading to incidents where armed guards inside the GHF sites fired live rounds on crowds after Israeli tanks withdrew, signalling the sites are open for distribution.
The United Nations has stated that Israeli forces have killed hundreds of Palestinians seeking aid over the past two months. According to the U.N. human rights office, most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military. More than 160 children have been shot in the war, including 95 hit in the head or chest, according to an investigative report by the BBC.
During a visit to Gaza on August 1, 2025, Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, inspected a U.S.-backed distribution centre. During his visit, the GHF delivered its 100-millionth meal. Witkoff also held talks with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is under mounting international pressure to end the bloodshed in Gaza, but he has vowed to destroy Hamas and rescue hostages seized in a 2023 Palestinian group attack. The Israeli military denies intentionally harming civilians, including children, during the conflict. However, Hamas has been accused of trying to prevent food distribution and is conducting a review of reported deaths.
A video showing an emaciated and weak Evyatar David, a 24-year-old Israeli hostage, was released by the armed wing of Hamas after Witkoff's Gaza visit. The Israeli military claims that troops operate near aid sites to enable orderly delivery and minimise friction with the civilian population.
The tragic situation in Gaza has drawn strong condemnation from humanitarian organisations and international observers. As of now, 49 hostages, including 27 declared dead by the Israeli military, are still held in Gaza. The lethal environment surrounding aid distribution reflects an unprecedented and tragic situation where civilians trying to survive by accessing humanitarian aid face deadly force.
- Despite the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) delivery of its 100-millionth meal during a visit by Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, ongoing violence and military intervention have resulted in hundreds of Palestinian civilian deaths seeking essential aid since May 2025.
- In the midst of a lethal environment surrounding aid distribution, where civilians face fire from Israeli troops and armed American private security contractors, politics and the global news landscape have been marred by the ongoing human rights abuses in Gaza that have led to incidents of armed guards firing live rounds on crowds.
- The international community is demanding an end to the violence and several contentious issues, such as the role of science and health-and-wellness in providing aid for survival, the accountability for war-and-conflicts-related civilian casualties, and the handling of crime-and-justice matters in Gaza, are becoming increasingly important in the broader discussions on the humanitarian crisis in the region.
