In a recent press briefing, UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned ongoing Israeli war crimes in Gaza, warning they have triggered a humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions, more dire today than at any point in this long and brutal crisis." 

Guterres' statement comes after 50 Palestinians were martyred in a wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn Friday, according to an Al Mayadeen correspondent.

Among Friday’s massacres, seven people were killed and several others wounded north of Rafah, after the Israeli occupation forces bombed an area where displaced Palestinians were waiting for humanitarian assistance near centers affiliated with the US-based company handling aid delivery.

Guterres emphasized that “families are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza's land" where  "bombs are falling on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run.” 

He highlighted the desperation, saying, "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families. The search for food must never be a death sentence."

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He reaffirmed that under international law, "Israel", as the occupying power, is obligated to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid. He noted that the reality was starkly different, emphasizing that humanitarian efforts are being "strangled" on the ground.

The secretary-general reported that even aid workers are going hungry, while doctors are forced to make impossible choices with dwindling supplies, deciding who receives the last dose of medicine or access to the final ventilator.

Calling a “trickle of aid” insufficient, Guterres urged an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all captives, and full, safe, and sustained humanitarian access. He dismissed proposals for alternative aid distribution as dangerous and unnecessary, saying, “We have the solution. There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes." 

"We have … a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. It worked during the last ceasefire. It must be allowed to work again,” he said, concluding with a direct appeal to global leaders urging those in power to enable operations as well as humanitarian law demands.

Weaponization of food in Gaza constitutes war crime: UN

According to the UN and Gaza’s Health Ministry, 549 people have been killed and more than 4,066 have been injured while trying to access food aid as of June 25. With Gaza’s death toll surpassing 56,000, aid deliveries remain dangerously obstructed. The collapse of water systems now threatens widespread drought and famine.

The UN human rights office also warned on Tuesday that the weaponization of food distribution in Gaza could amount to a war crime. The statement comes amid growing international criticism of the new aid distribution model operated by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva, UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen al-Kheetan described the current system as "Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism," stressing its deadly consequences for civilians in desperate need of relief.