NEWS
NEWS

UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by U.S. group

Updated

The U.N. human rights office said Friday it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May

Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian man killed while heading to an aid distribution hub
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian man killed while heading to an aid distribution hubAP

The U.N. human rights office said Friday it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May.

Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings. But she said "it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points" operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

She said it was not immediately clear how many of those killings had taken place at GHF sites, and how many occurred near convoys.

Speaking to reporters at a regular briefing, Shamdasani said the figures covered the period from May 27 through June 27, and "there have been further incidents" since then. She said she was basing the information on an internal situation report at the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Shamdasani said the figures, compiled through its standard vetting processes, were not likely to tell a complete picture, and "we will perhaps never be able to grasp the full scale of what's happening here because of the lack of access" for U.N. teams to the areas.