BERLIN

Germany said on Monday that it is very concerned over ongoing deadly Israeli strikes on civilians near aid distribution centers in Gaza.

“The German government is deeply concerned about these reports, which are received almost daily, of incidents of violence in connection with the distribution of food, including reports from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said, referring to the controversial Israeli-supported aid scheme.

“These incidents always result in deaths and injuries. The German government is monitoring this very critically,” he told a press briefing in Berlin.

“People in need should not have to risk their lives when receiving food, and therefore the German government is calling for these incidents to be clarified,” he added.

Kornelius pointed out that Israel was “allowing the resumption of humanitarian deliveries, including through the United Nations, on a very limited scale.”

According to the UN Human Rights Office, at least 503 Palestinian aid seekers have been killed and 3,000 others injured by Israeli gunfire in Gaza since May 27.

Since that day, Israel and the US have been operating an aid distribution system independent of the UN and major humanitarian agencies. Critics have condemned the initiative as a “death trap,” as Israeli troops have repeatedly opened fire on crowds seeking food and supplies.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 56,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.