(MENAFN- Live Mint) On Friday, the United Nations (UN) officials, including Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a US-and Israeli-backed distribution system in Gaza was resulting in mass deaths of those in need of humanitarian aid. The Israeli military denied the allegations, with the foreign ministry asserting that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) does not harm civilians and the UN is 'trying to sabotage humanitarian operations'.

According to local officials and eyewitnesses, Palestianians have been killed many times at distribution centres in the last few days in the war-stricken territory, where Israeli forces are confronting Hamas militants, AFP reported. The US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has dismissed any deadly cases were connected to its places.

Israeli Foreign Ministry questions UN

“Blaming Israel for the UN's failures and for Hamas's deeds is a deliberate tactic. The GHF has so far provided more than 46 million meals directly to Palestinian civilians, not to Hamas. Yet the UN is doing everything it can to oppose this effort. In doing so, the UN is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF's humanitarian operations,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated in a post on X.

“The IDF never targets civilians, and anyone claiming otherwise is blatantly lying. It is Hamas that is deliberately targeting and murdering GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Fund) aid workers -- a crime the UN has never condemned -- and is also targeting civilians who are trying to collect aid from the GHF,” it further said.

The ministry added, "The UN must now decide: Does it prefer to preserve its monopoly and a system that benefits Hamas -- thereby prolonging the war -- or is it interested in delivering humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza?"

Head of the UN agency for Palestinian affairs (UNWRA), Philippe Lazzarini, said, "The new aid distribution system has become a killing field," with those“shot at while trying to access food for themselves and their families”. This abomination must end through a return to humanitarian deliveries from the UN including @UNRWA."

Over 500 people have been killed surrounding aid centres while looking for limited supplies since late May, the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory said.

'A trickle of aid is not enough'

The UN Secretary-General Guterres once again urged an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, stating that the humanitarian crisis has escalated to“horrific proportions.” He mentioned, "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence."

“A trickle of aid is not enough, what is needed now is a surge. The trickle must become an ocean. We need concrete action so that aid can reach all,” Antonio had said on assistance to Gaza.

In a join statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday stressed that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers have explicit directives not to hurt innocents.

“The State of Israel absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels that have been published in the Ha'aretz newspaper, according to which 'IDF Soldiers Ordered to Shoot Deliberately at Unarmed Gazans Waiting for Humanitarian Aid,” Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted.

Nearly 1,200 people lost lives and 251 were held captive in a conflict that began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas carried out an attack on Israel. Israel promised to annihilate the group as a retaliation to the Hamas' action. Israel's military campaign has killed approximately 56,331 people, mainly civilians, the Gaza's health ministry said.

(With inputs from AFP and ANI)

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