Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and UN officials denounce Israel’s Gaza aid distribution, calling it a deadly trap, as nearly 800 Palestinians are reported killed while seeking food.
Tehran [Iran], July 13 – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has issued a scathing condemnation of Israel’s aid distribution system in Gaza, branding it a “cheap form of genocide”, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
In a strongly worded post on X, Khamenei stated that Palestinians in Gaza are being forced into a harrowing choice:
“Either perish under the rubble of hunger, or get shot trying to obtain a food package.”
He further added:
“This is a cheap form of genocide, calculated with Western precision. A nation that once died under bombs worth hundreds of thousands of dollars now dies in food lines from bullets that cost mere dollars.”
The statement comes amid growing international outrage over Israel’s handling of humanitarian aid in Gaza, where deadly incidents have been reported at aid distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
According to United Nations data cited by Al Jazeera, approximately 800 Palestinians have been killed over the past six weeks while attempting to receive food aid at these sites.
UN officials have echoed Khamenei’s criticism. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), described the situation as an engineered catastrophe.
“Gaza has become the graveyard of children and starving people,” Lazzarini wrote on X.
“No way out. Their choice is between two deaths: starvation or being shot at. This is the most cruel and Machiavellian scheme to kill, in total impunity. Our norms and values are being buried. Inaction will bring more chaos. Time to act is overdue.”
Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, also confirmed the scale of the tragedy, stating that between May and July 7, the UN recorded 798 Palestinian deaths near aid points in Gaza.
Further stoking global outrage, Haaretz, an Israeli media outlet, reported that both Israeli soldiers and American contractors working with GHF have admitted to opening fire on unarmed Palestinians attempting to gather food.
The allegations point to a disturbing pattern in which humanitarian aid, a lifeline for the besieged population of Gaza, has turned into a deadly risk. While Israel maintains that it is facilitating aid, critics argue that the aid distribution strategy is being manipulated to control and punish the population under the guise of humanitarian assistance.
The rising death toll and mounting evidence have prompted renewed calls from humanitarian organizations and political leaders for immediate international intervention and accountability.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, the global community faces urgent pressure to act, with warnings that continued silence and inaction will only escalate the tragedy.