The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Gaza: ‘Unacceptable’ choice between getting shot or getting fed – UN humanitarians
Following the deaths of several children in an Israeli strike on Palestinians waiting in line for nutritional supplements in central Gaza on Thursday, UN humanitarians have once again condemned the killings of people at aid distribution sites in the enclave.
UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told reporters in Geneva on Friday, “We've raised concerns about atrocity crimes having been committed and the risk of further atrocity crimes being committed, where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine and where they are being attacked, where again… they have a choice between being shot or being fed”.
“This is unacceptable and it's continuing,” she deplored.
Ms. Shamdasani said that her office is still looking into the incident in which, according to media reports, at least 15 Palestinians including women and children were killed by a strike in front of a clinic in Deir al-Balah run by US-based aid group Project Hope, a partner organization of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
In a statement on Thursday UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said that the killing of families trying to access life-saving aid is “unconscionable”.
The Israeli military reportedly said that it was targeting a Hamas member involved in the terror attacks in Israel on 7 October 2023. Asked about the rationale of putting civilians, including children, in mortal danger when targeting one specific person, Ms. Shamdasani said that over the course of the conflict in Gaza OHCHR has had serious concerns about respect for essential international humanitarian law principles, including the principles of distinction and proportionality in attack.
“We have seen that of the overall death toll in Gaza, a large proportion are women and children. And again, that raises serious questions about whether these principles are being respected,” she said.
Killings of Gazans at or around aid distribution sites and near humanitarian convoys have become a regular occurrence in a context of restrictions on the entry of food, fuel and relief items into the Strip and particularly since the establishment of non-UN food distribution sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Since late May, this militarized aid distribution model, backed by Israel and the United States, has sought to sideline the UN and its humanitarian partners.
OHCHR’s Ms. Shamdasani said that from 27 May, when the GHF started operations in Gaza, until 7 July, OHCHR recorded 798 killings “including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF sites and 183 presumably on the routes of aid convoys”.
The almost deaths of almost 800 people trying to access aid were “mostly due to… gunshot injuries”, Ms. Shamdasani said.
Joining her in condemning the killings, World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that he is “slowly lacking words to describe the scenario”.
“People being shot at distribution sites… scores of women and children and men and boys and girls being killed while either getting food or in what’s supposedly safe shelters or on the road to health clinics or inside health clinics - this is far beyond unacceptable.”
Asked to comment on a 75,000-litre fuel delivery into Gaza on Wednesday, the first such provision in over 130 days, Mr. Lindmeier said that “as good as it is that these this amount of fuel came finally in… we should not be relying on special news of special deliveries,” be it on fuel, food or other relief items.
“There should be a reoccurring delivery into Gaza to keep the lifelines open, to supply the ambulances, the hospitals, the water desalination plants, the bakeries… whatever is necessary to keep a little bit of lifeline open there, to run the incubators,” he said.
The WHO spokesperson pointed out that 94 per cent of the hospitals in Gaza are now damaged or destroyed, while displacement continues and civilians are being pushed into ever smaller spaces.
Mr. Lindmeier also expressed his hope for a positive outcome of the ongoing ceasefire talks.
“Peace is the best medicine and opening the doors remains the only viable option,” he concluded.
-Ends-
STORY Gaza Deir Al-Balah killings OHCHR - WHO 11 July 2025
TRT: 2:47”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 11 JULY 2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Exterior wide shot: Palais des Nations, Flag Alley.
2. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; journalists in the Press room.
3. SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “We've raised concerns about atrocity crimes having been committed and the risk of further atrocity crimes being committed. Where people are lining up for essential supplies such as food and medicine and where they are being attacked, where again, as my colleagues have said, they have a choice between being shot or being fed – this is unacceptable and it's continuing.”
4. Close shot: Journalist in the Press room.
5. SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “Up until 7 July, we've recorded now 798 killings, including 615 in the vicinity of the GHF [Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] sites and 183 presumably on the routes of aid convoys. This is nearly 800 people who have been killed while trying to access aid, mostly due to, mostly the injuries are gunshot injuries.”
6. Wide shot: Journalists in the Press room; speaker on screens.
7. SOUNDBITE (English) – Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson, UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR): “In the course of this conflict, we have had serious concerns about respect for international humanitarian law principles, essential principles of distinction, proportionality in attack. We have seen that of the overall death toll in Gaza, a large proportion are women and children. And again, that raises serious questions about whether these principles are being respected.”
8. Wide shot: Speakers at the podium of the press conference; speaker on screens.
9. SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “I'm slowly lacking words to describe the scenario. People being shot at distribution sites, the numbers of, scores of women and children and men and boys and girls being killed while either getting food or in what’s supposedly safe shelters or on the road to health clinics or inside health clinics. This is far beyond unacceptable.”
10. Medium shot: Journalist in the Press room.
11. SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson, World Health Organization (WHO): “We should not be relying on special news of special deliveries. Whether it's on fuel, on food or whatever, it should not even be a question. There should be a reoccurring delivery into Gaza to keep the lifelines open, to supply the ambulances, the hospitals, the water desalination plants, the bakeries, what have you, whatever is necessary to keep a little bit of lifeline open there to run the incubators as you mentioned them. So, peace is the best medicine and opening the doors remains the only viable option.”
12. Various shots of speakers and journalists in the Press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA , IFRC
Lebanon faces escalating violence, with new mothers uncertain of safety amid ongoing crises.
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council, delivering a video statement on the strike that hit a girls school in Minab, Iran recently, calling for accountability and protection of children.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A new UN Human Rights report published on Tuesday details the human rights impacts of the expanding reach of gangs in Haiti. According to data verified by the Office, at least 5,519 people were killed in Haiti, and 2,608 were injured between 1 March 2025 and 15 January 2026.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado on Tuesday described the deadly impact of drone strikes in Sudan.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , OHCHR
Sudan: Hospital strike highlights surge in drone attacks on civilians
The death toll from a horrific attack on a hospital in Sudan’s Darfur has risen further, amid a “sharp increase” in drone attacks against civilians this year, UN agencies said on Tuesday.