UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has denounced the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” as a lethal façade, accusing the US- and Israel-backed initiative of offering Palestinians nothing but hunger and death.

In a strongly worded post, Lazzarini stated that the initiative has utterly failed to protect or serve civilians. “Since its launch on 27 May, more than 500 starving Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded while trying to access food,” he wrote, warning that the operation fuels chaos rather than delivering relief.

The criticism follows the latest killings near the so-called “Netzarim Corridor” and north of Rafah, where Israeli forces opened fire on civilians waiting for aid, killing 11 and injuring many more. Field data confirms a rising toll: 591 Palestinians killed, over 4,200 injured, and dozens still missing after seeking food at these US-Israeli distribution sites.

Lazzarini joined over 130 humanitarian organisations in calling for an immediate return to a unified UN-led aid mechanism that upholds international law and centres the role of UNRWA and other neutral agencies.

Since the start of the war on 7 October, Gaza has endured a campaign of devastation that experts increasingly describe as genocidal. Backed by US support, Israeli forces have killed or wounded over 189,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, while more than 11,000 remain missing. Under siege, underfed, and under fire, Gaza’s civilians are left to die in the name of aid.