Aid Distribution Sites Become Deadly Zones for Gaza Children, Says Save the Children
Children Killed in Over Half of Gaza Aid Attacks
GAZA – Children have been killed or injured in more than half of the Israeli attacks on aid distribution sites in Gaza, turning what should be a lifeline into a nightmare, Save the Children reported on Thursday. The findings come just four weeks after the US-and-Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operations.
The organization documented 19 deadly incidents at or near food distribution points. In at least 10 of these, children were among the casualties. The report paints a grim picture of Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis, where survival often comes at the cost of human life — especially for the youngest.
“Some families in Gaza are so desperate — in some cases due to a lack of a healthy adult — that they are sending children to collect food,” Save the Children said. “This exposes them to the very real risk of being shot by Israeli forces.”
Aid Efforts Turn into ‘Death Sentence’
Since May 27, Israeli forces have killed over 500 Palestinians and injured more than 3,000 while they were trying to access aid, according to data from the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Victims were either at GHF distribution sites, en route to receive food, or approaching one of the rare UN or NGO aid convoys.
Save the Children staff on the ground say they’ve witnessed these killings firsthand. The chaos has left thousands too afraid to even try to access aid. Ahmad Alhendawi, the organization’s regional director, described the situation as a “dystopian horror show.”
“No one wants to get aid from these distribution points — and who can blame them? It’s a death sentence,” said Alhendawi. “One colleague told us that even though his family is down to one meal a day, he won’t go to a GHF distribution because he believes his life is worth more than a bag of flour.”
Children Paying the Ultimate Price
For many families in Gaza, food collection has become a high-risk mission. With parents killed, injured, or too weak to make the journey, children are now being sent in their place — walking into deadly zones where Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire.
“These children are not soldiers. They are not threats. They are just hungry and trying to survive,” said Alhendawi. “And yet, they’re being killed for it.”
Save the Children has called on the international community to immediately investigate the targeting of civilians at aid sites. Humanitarian organizations warn that continued attacks on distribution points not only violate international law but also push Gaza further toward famine.
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