Controversy Surrounds Gaza Aid Efforts Amid Rising Death Toll

The U.N. reports over 798 killings linked to aid operations in Gaza, involving the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and other groups. GHF's method bypasses the U.N. system, raising safety and impartiality concerns, with the foundation denying violence at its sites.

The United Nations' human rights office announced Friday that it has documented at least 798 fatalities related to aid operations in Gaza. These incidents involve the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by the U.S. and Israel, as well as other relief groups.

Operating independently from the U.N.-led system, the GHF utilizes private American security and logistics firms to deliver supplies. This method is scrutinized for allegedly allowing militants to hijack aid, with the United Nations deeming it 'inherently unsafe' and breaching humanitarian neutrality principles.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), disclosed that 615 of these killings occurred near GHF sites, while 183 were likely along aid convoy routes. Despite the troubling statistics, GHF has consistently refuted claims of violence at its distribution locations.

(With inputs from agencies.)