[News] WFP slams deadly attacks on starving Gazans, urges opening of border crossings

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 WFP slams deadly attacks on starving Gazans, urges opening of border
crossings

Thursday 19-June-2025 - https://english.palinfo.com/news/2025/06/19/341609/
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GENEVA, (PIC)

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has condemned what it called
“totally unacceptable violence” against starving Palestinians in Gaza
trying to access humanitarian aid, calling for the immediate opening of
border crossings to prevent further worsening of the humanitarian crisis.

In a statement released Thursday, the WFP said the attacks on civilians
waiting for food violate basic human dignity and are deepening the already
devastating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

The condemnation follows reports that more than 150 Palestinians were
killed within 24 hours by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) while gathering
at aid distribution sites. Hamas accused Israel of setting up “death traps”
in various parts of Gaza, coordinated with the US and Israeli militaries,
to target desperate civilians seeking food.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, since May 27, 2024—when the so-called
“Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation,” a US- and Israeli-backed group
rejected by the UN, began operating distribution points—397 people have
been killed and nearly 3,000 wounded.

The UN’s main aid agencies, including WFP, UNICEF, and UNRWA, have rejected
any involvement with the group, citing concerns over safety, transparency,
and humanitarian standards.

The WFP said it has only been able to deliver about 9,000 metric tons of
food to Gaza over the last month, “a fraction” of what’s needed to feed the
2.1 million people now facing severe hunger. “This cannot go on,” the
agency stated.

The UN food agency called for an immediate scale-up in aid access,
including the opening of more border crossings, safer routes for aid
convoys, faster approval of permits, and reliable communications with teams
on the ground.

Gaza has been under a total blockade since October 7, 2023, as part of what
many international observers and human rights groups have called a genocide
carried out by Israel.

While thousands of trucks carrying essential supplies are stalled at the
border, Israeli occupation authorities continue to allow only a small
number through, worsening the crisis by the day.

Humanitarian groups estimate that Gaza needs at least 500 aid trucks per
day to meet basic food and medical needs, but current deliveries fall far
short.

Since late May, the IOF has rerouted aid drops to so-called “buffer zones”
in central and southern Gaza under the Gaza Humanitarian Relief
Foundation—an arrangement that the UN has refused to support due to safety
and political concerns.
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