BRUSSELS

More than 170 aid organizations on Monday issued a joint statement condemning Israel's newly imposed, military-controlled aid distribution system in Gaza, warning it is forcing civilians to choose between "starvation or gunfire."

The NGOs called on the international community to take immediate action to end what they described as a "deadly distribution scheme," and to reinstate the previous UN-led coordination mechanism involving agencies such as UNRWA and Palestinian civil society.

According to the statement, the Israeli system has replaced 400 humanitarian distribution points with just four military-run sites, creating overcrowded, dangerous zones where people are frequently exposed to gunfire. In under four weeks, more than 500 Palestinians have reportedly been killed and nearly 4,000 injured while attempting to access food and aid.

"These areas have become sites of repeated massacres in blatant disregard for international humanitarian law. Orphaned children and caregivers are among the dead, with children harmed in over half of the attacks on civilians at these sites," the NGOs said.

The aid groups stressed that Gaza's humanitarian crisis is deepening rapidly amid widespread hunger, fuel shortages, and lack of clean water.

"The humanitarian system is being deliberately and systematically dismantled by the government of Israel's blockade and restrictions, a blockade now being used to justify shutting down nearly all other aid operations in favor of a deadly, military-controlled alternative that neither protects civilians nor meets basic needs," the statement said.

The organizations urged states not to support or fund "militarized aid schemes" and called for full humanitarian access, an immediate and sustained ceasefire, the release of all hostages and arbitrarily detained individuals, and accountability for violations of international law.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 56,500 Palestinians in a deadly onslaught in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.

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.