UNRWA: Gaza's aid distribution system is degrading and does not aim to address hunger.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) renewed its criticism on Tuesday of the aid distribution system in the Gaza Strip, which is backed by Israel and the United States, describing it as "humiliating," especially since it "does not aim to address the hunger" caused by Tel Aviv.

"Another day of aid distribution in Gaza, another day of death traps, with deaths and dozens of injuries reported daily at distribution points run by Israel and private (American) security companies," the UN agency said in a statement.

On Tuesday morning, the Israeli occupation forces fired artillery shells and gunfire at groups of people waiting for aid near the Netzarim crossing in the central Gaza Strip, killing 36 Palestinians and wounding 208 others, according to the latest statistics from the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The agency added: "This degrading regime continues to force thousands of hungry and needy people to walk dozens of kilometers, excluding the most vulnerable and those living in remote areas."

She continued, criticizing the aid distribution mechanism: "This system is not intended to address hunger."

She stressed the importance of ensuring that aid deliveries to Palestinians in Gaza are "safe" and distributed "widely," asserting that this can only be achieved "through the United Nations, including UNRWA, which has the experience and knowledge, as well as the community's trust."

UNRWA called on Israel to "lift the blockade on Gaza and allow the United Nations safe and unhindered access to deliver and distribute aid safely," noting that this is "the only way to avoid widespread starvation."

In the statement, it noted that its warehouses outside the Gaza Strip are filled with an amount of aid equivalent to 6,000 trucks, warning of its spoilage, saying: "Deliberately letting food spoil and medicine expire is outrageous."

Beyond UN supervision, on May 27, Israel began implementing a plan to distribute what it claims is "humanitarian aid" through the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Palestinians say the plan aims to displace them from the north of the Strip to the south.

This comes as Israel has tightly closed Gaza crossings to trucks carrying supplies and aid, which have been piling up at the border since March 2.

Only a few dozen trucks were allowed to enter, while Palestinians in Gaza need at least 500 trucks per day.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving more than 181,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced.