MSF: Gaza Aid Sites Operated by U.S.-Backed GHF Are Centers of “Orchestrated Killings”
Doctors Without Borders has called for the closure of Gaza’s GHF food centers, accusing Israeli forces and U.S. contractors of systematic violence against starving civilians. The group urges a return to UN-led humanitarian coordination.
UN experts call for dismantling of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Photo: @UN_SPExperts
August 7, 2025 Hour: 4:21 am
A new report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has described the Gaza aid distribution sites operated by the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) as locations of “orchestrated killings and dehumanization,” urging their immediate shutdown.
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The findings, published Thursday, are based on clinical records and testimonies gathered in two MSF-run clinics in the Gaza Strip. According to the organization, Palestinian civilians seeking food at GHF centers—authorized by Israeli authorities to operate in militarized zones—have been met with “targeted and indiscriminate violence” carried out by Israeli forces and U.S. private contractors.
The group is demanding the dismantling of the GHF model, calling on governments—particularly the United States—to withdraw funding and support. MSF is also calling for the restoration of UN-led aid distribution in Gaza.
A “laboratory of cruelty”
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed either by Israeli gunfire or in stampedes triggered by chaos at GHF aid sites. These centers, operating in areas under Israeli military control, have drawn strong criticism from international organizations and the UN.
“In nearly 54 years of MSF operations, we have rarely seen such levels of systematic violence against unarmed civilians,” said MSF General Director Raquel Ayora. “The GHF distribution sites, disguised as humanitarian assistance, have become a laboratory of cruelty.”
The report—titled “This Is Not Aid, This Is Orchestrated Murder”—documents incidents since Israel began allowing limited food entry into Gaza after months of total blockade. MSF argues that the entire scheme is part of a broader policy of starvation used as a weapon of war.
With few alternatives to obtain food, many families in Gaza send teenage boys to GHF sites, as they are often the only physically able members of the household. “In this deadly environment,” MSF notes, “we have treated multiple minors with bullet wounds.”
Ayora describes scenes of “children shot in the chest while trying to find food, people crushed or suffocated in stampedes, entire crowds riddled with bullets at distribution points”—a grim portrait built from firsthand accounts collected by the organization.
Targeted attacks
Medical data from MSF clinics in Al Mawasi and Khan Younis points to patterns of precise, targeted violence. In Al Mawasi, 11% of gunshot patients had been shot in the head or neck, and 19% in the chest, abdomen, or back. In Khan Younis, the majority of injuries were to the lower limbs.
“The distribution of these injuries, both in location and anatomy, strongly suggests deliberate attacks on civilians in and around GHF sites—not accidental or random fire,” the report states.
A deadly aid scheme
For MSF, these sites represent more than a failed aid initiative—they are a core feature of Israel’s “policy of starvation” in Gaza, which intensified following the full siege imposed on March 2. The organization describes the GHF operation as a “lethal mechanism” institutionalizing hunger and violence under the guise of humanitarian aid.
MSF has called on the international community to reject the militarized delivery of assistance and reestablish neutral, UN-led frameworks. “This system must end now,” Ayora concluded.
Author: MK
Source: Al Jazeera - EFE
