GENEVA, July 22. /TASS/. The humanitarian aid distribution system in the Gaza Strip, which has been operating since the end of May through the GHF, supported by the United States and Israel, bypassing international organizations, is a harsh death trap for the residents of the Palestinian enclave in need of assistance, said Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

"The so called "GHF" distribution scheme is a sadistic death trap. Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a license to kill. A massive hunt of people, in total impunity," the agency quoted him as saying. Lazzarini said this state of affairs "cannot be our new norm," and "humanitarian assistance is not the job of mercenaries."

He said that since the beginning of May, more than a thousand Palestinians have died of hunger. According to him, at the moment, not only the local population is suffering from hunger in Gaza, but also doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarian workers. "Many are now fainting due to hunger and exhaustion while performing their duties: reporting atrocities or alleviating some of the suffering.," Lazzarini added.

Since March 2, 2025, aid from international humanitarian organizations and UN agencies has stopped arriving in the Gaza Strip. In May, as an alternative to the traditional aid distribution system, Israel, with the support of the United States, established a food delivery scheme giving the GHF virtually exclusive rights to establish distribution centers and distribute food and essential goods. The plan was blasted by international organizations, with the key point of criticism being the placement of distribution centers in combat-free "security zones" in southern Gaza, which, according to experts, could lead to the forced relocation of residents of the enclave.