The president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, has described Gaza as “worse than hell on Earth” amid renewed violence backed by the US and Israel.
In a powerful interview with the BBC, Spoljaric said Palestinians have been stripped of human dignity, and that international humanitarian law is being hollowed out. Her remarks come in the wake of another deadly incident on Tuesday, in which at least 27 Palestinians were reportedly killed near an aid point in Gaza while attempting to collect supplies.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the newly established organisation handling aid distribution, has temporarily shut down all its sites, citing the need for “organisational and efficiency improvement works. However, the decision comes after a series of violent incidents at or near its distribution points, drawing sharp criticism from aid workers, rights groups, and the UN.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged firing near the crowd on Tuesday but said the shots were aimed at suspects who deviated from designated access routes. This marks the third fatal event near GHF sites within three days, fuelling accusations that the new aid system is placing civilians directly in harm’s way.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror, including direct fire on unarmed civilians. “We found a crowd of people; everyone took something and left. Then the shooting began, one man told the BBC. We saw bodies everywhere. My neighbour was wounded. Medical teams in Rafah said 184 patients were admitted on Tuesday morning alone, 27 of whom died.
Meanwhile, Israel has declared the roads leading to aid distribution centres as combat zones,” effectively criminalising access to desperately needed food and medical supplies. Aid groups say this is making it almost impossible to deliver humanitarian assistance, with UNICEF warning that instead of the required 600 lorries per day, only about 600 boxes are reaching people.
Dr Marwan Shafiq al Hams, head of a field hospital in Khan Younis, said the medical situation is dire. “We now have 42 patients in intensive care in a space meant for 25,” he told the BBC. “There is no blood left. Many of the wounded already had anaemia before injury now they are critical.”
Tensions also escalated after a reported Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Khan Younis, killing at least 12 displaced Palestinians, including children. Civil defence workers and health officials say tents housing families were directly targeted. The IDF has not commented on the strike but confirmed military activity in the area.
As criticism mounts, a UNICEF spokesperson labelled the US-Israel-backed GHF aid mechanism “a pretence of aid,” saying it replaces a more effective UN-led system and exposes civilians to extreme danger. He described seeing “teenage boys in tears showing their ribs through car windows” and added that major humanitarian agencies continue to be blocked from operating freely.
International scrutiny is intensifying. The UN Security Council is set to vote later today on a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire and the release of all hostages. However, there is concern that previous efforts have been undermined by vetoes, particularly from the United States, which supports Israel’s military operations and the GHF aid scheme.
While the GHF has pledged to resume operations on Thursday with improved safety protocols, human rights observers argue that the very structure of the system requiring civilians to walk through combat zones to reach military-controlled centres makes future tragedies not just possible, but inevitable.
