Palestinian International Organization for Peace and Human Rights

June 17, 2025

What happened?

On June 17, 2025, information was received about continued deaths and injuries near aid distribution sites in the Gaza Strip, as residents were trying to obtain food.

Impact of the incident on civilians

The aid distribution mechanisms need an independent assessment to ensure that access to flour and food does not become a new cause of death and injury.

The right of the population to relief

The right to food and water is linked to the right to life and health. International humanitarian law prohibits the starvation of civilians as a method of warfare and requires respect for the rules governing humanitarian access and the protection of aid workers and beneficiaries.

What is needed to protect the population?

These developments necessitate careful monitoring of the facts related to the issue of “aid sites in Gaza turning into a zone of fear for civilians,” making information available to affected families, providing treatment, relief or redress according to the nature of the harm, and distinguishing between proven information and legal characterization that requires a competent investigation.

Image: Illustrative archive image that does not necessarily depict the incident described in the article. Image data, photographer, and license on Wikimedia Commons