Hamas: US-backed aid distribution system in Gaza serves as ‘death traps’

Hamas has condemned the US-backed so-called aid distribution system in the besieged Gaza Strip, warning that the aid sites serve only as ‘death traps’ enforcing deliberate starvation and humiliation against Palestinians.

In a press statement released on Monday, the Gaza-based resistance group stressed that the so-called aid distribution mechanism in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory has led to the deaths of more than 450 people and injured over 3,400 others in less than a month.

“The rise in the number of martyrs killed as a result of the Zionist-American so-called ‘aid distribution mechanism’ to 454 martyrs, along with 3,466 injured, in less than a month since its implementation, exposes the criminal nature of this mechanism,” Hamas said, noting that the so-called aid distribution points are nothing but premeditated “death traps,” used to enforce “starvation and humiliation as part of a systematic policy of genocide” against Gazans.

The resistance movement also accused the international community of complicity through silence, calling on the United Nations to intervene by setting up a neutral and supervised aid system, particularly instead of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which plays a central and dominant role in organizing and distributing aid in the Palestinian territory.

“This ongoing crime, carried out under international cover and shameful silence, constitutes a blatant violation of all humanitarian laws and norms. It obligates the international community and the UN to uphold their moral and legal responsibilities by intervening immediately to halt these massacres and establishing a safe, UN-supervised aid delivery mechanism free from the control of the occupation,” Hamas stressed.

It also demanded international accountability for war crimes, calling for an immediate halt to the ongoing attacks against civilians in Gaza.

“We further emphasize the necessity of activating international accountability and prosecuting the war criminals of the Zionist occupation leaders for their crimes against defenseless civilians. We call for urgent action to impose an immediate and comprehensive cessation of the genocide against over two million besieged people in Gaza,” the statement noted.

The US- and Israel-backed GHF system began distributing food packages in Gaza since its establishment on May 26, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the UN says is neither impartial nor neutral.

Since the escalation began on October 7, 2023, the death toll in Gaza has risen to more than 56,000, with over 128,000 injured.

Palestinian resistance groups in a joint statement recently said the real aim behind the US aid distribution centers in Gaza is to dismantle the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and destroy the Palestinian cause.

They also emphasized that the aid centers’ moves are aimed at accelerating the forced displacement, ethnic cleansing, and evacuation of the people and residents of Gaza as part of US President Donald Trump’s “criminal plans.”

The humanitarian crisis continues to deepen amid the ongoing brutal Israeli campaign in Gaza.

The brutal blockade of food and aid entering Gaza is part of the Israeli regime’s wider plan to expel Palestinians from the besieged Strip.

The UN and other aid groups refuse to cooperate with the GHF system, saying it contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

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