On the morning of Friday, June 21, Israeli forces killed 22 Palestinians as they waited for American humanitarian aid near Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli drones and military vehicles opened direct fire on hundreds of civilians gathered in hopes of receiving basic food supplies, including bags of flour. The heavy presence of drones severely hindered the evacuation of the wounded.

This massacre is part of a grim pattern of deliberate attacks on Palestinians seeking aid at distribution points throughout Gaza. Since February, hundreds have been killed or injured in similar incidents across areas such as Al-Rashid Street, Al-Sudaniya, and the Netzarim corridor.

Since May 27, aid deliveries have been controlled through a joint U.S.-Israeli initiative known as the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.” This mechanism, widely condemned by the United Nations and international organisations, militarises humanitarian assistance, using it as a tool to coerce, humiliate, and forcibly displace Palestinians.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor described the foundation as complicit in Israel’s system of killing and starvation, accusing it of deliberately creating “death traps” by coordinating aid distribution in exposed areas targeted by Israeli forces. Over 400 civilians have been killed in these lethal zones within just three weeks.

The Monitor called for an independent international investigation and accountability for those operating within this organisation. It labelled their actions as part of a broader campaign of starvation and genocide that has lasted for over 20 months.

The forced aid distribution funnels starving civilians into open corridors where they are vulnerable to drone strikes and live fire, resulting in mass casualties. Those who survive receive only minimal, insufficient food supplies that fail to meet their most basic needs.

The continued silence and inaction of the international community is a form of complicity, placing legal responsibility on governments supporting Israel. The Monitor demanded international sanctions on Tel Aviv, an immediate halt to arms exports, and the freezing of financial assets linked to perpetrators of these crimes.

This latest massacre starkly exposes the ongoing Israeli strategy to weaponise starvation and block vital aid, deliberately targeting the most vulnerable Palestinians in a calculated campaign of collective punishment.