ISTANBUL

Authorities in the Gaza Strip affirmed their readiness to secure humanitarian aid convoys, ensuring delivery to starving families, officials announced Saturday, emphasizing a commitment to protecting aid from theft or chaos, adhering to UN protocols.

The Gaza Media Office stressed that the government, in coordination with local communities, including families and clans, “can efficiently facilitate relief efforts despite repeated attacks that killed 750 police officers tasked with securing aid and thousands of government and municipal workers.”

A statement urged residents to actively protect aid convoys, preventing attacks or diversions to ensure supplies reach displaced and hungry families hardest hit by the war.

It reiterated the UN’s role as the legitimate international body with decades of experience serving Palestinian refugees and safeguarding their rights.

The office also condemned Israeli- and US-backed aid initiatives overseen by the Israeli military as a “resounding failure.”

It criticized those projects for lacking transparency, violating justice and dignity standards, and serving as propaganda tools that deepen the crisis rather than addressing civilians’ needs.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said Friday that it indefinitely suspended operations, urging residents to stay away for their safety.

On May 27, Israel began implementing a controversial plan to distribute aid through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, bypassing UN oversight. Palestinians have denounced the move as a coercive tactic to force displacement from northern to southern Gaza.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to access humanitarian aid under a controversial new system since May 27 has risen to 115, with more than 580 wounded and nine missing, according to a tally by Anadolu based on Palestinian sources.

Since March 2, Israel has kept border crossings closed, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million residents.

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 crimes against civilians in the enclave.