17 Palestinians killed in US-Israeli designated aid zones in Gaza
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UN and human rights groups continue to warn that the aid mechanism is linked to forced displacement efforts.
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Palestinians struggle to obtain donated food at a community kitchen in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 9, 2025 (AP)
The death toll from the US-Israeli aid mechanism has risen to 17, with 86 others injured, in addition to 5 people reported missing, the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced in a statement on X.
The Ministry detailed that one person was martyred on Thursday and five others on Friday, in areas designated by "Israel" and the US for aid distribution. It also reported that five people remain missing at the Rafah aid distribution center in the southern Gaza Strip.
PALESTINIAN MOTHER GATHERS FLOUR FROM THE GROUND IN GAZA
— Muhammad Smiry 🇵🇸 (@MuhammadSmiry) May 31, 2025
AS THOUSANDS OF AID TRUCKS REMAIN BLOCKED AT THE BORDERS! pic.twitter.com/wzTNU2w6uY
Since May 27, the Israeli occupation has implemented what it calls a "humanitarian aid distribution plan" through the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a body supported by "Israel" and the United States, rejected by the United Nations, and not subject to supervision by international humanitarian organizations.
Aid distribution under this mechanism is being conducted in the so-called "buffer zones" in southern Gaza, far from the besieged northern areas.
UN, rights groups warn of forced evacuation
The Israeli Army Radio previously admitted that the plan is intended to expedite the evacuation of residents from northern Gaza by limiting aid to four distribution points in the south.
The Gaza government and several human rights organizations have denounced the plan as a prelude to the forced displacement of Palestinians, aligning with US President Donald Trump’s proposal, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly declared as an objective of the current war.
Two Palestinians were killed and several others injured by Israeli army fire while attempting to reach the aid distribution center operated by the American security company west of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) May 31, 2025
The two killed are:
Fathi Wael Al-Nahhal
Ahmad Mohammad Mahmoud Matar pic.twitter.com/vkcVl41VDF
In this context, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), criticized the aid mechanism, describing it as a "waste of resources and a distraction from the atrocities."
In its broader update, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the total death toll from the ongoing Israeli genocide, which began on October 7, 2023, has now reached 54,381 martyrs, with 124,054 others wounded.
The Ministry continues to warn of the deteriorating humanitarian situation as efforts to impose displacement through manipulated aid channels persist.
Earlier today, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the Israeli military continued its devastating war on the Gaza Strip, killing at least 22 people in airstrikes across multiple areas since Saturday dawn.
Our correspondent confirmed the martyrdom of two people and the injury of others by occupation gunfire as they attempted to reach the aid center of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, west of Rafah, in the southern part of the enclave.
Several people were wounded when Israeli warplanes struck a home in the al-Saftawi area north of Gaza City, as the Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for Gaza City and much of northern Gaza, specifically the al-Zaytun, al-Tuffah, and Jabalia al-Balad neighborhoods, forcing residents to flee under ongoing bombardment.
