A 15-year-old Palestinian boy, Abdul Rahman Abu Jazar, has been shot in the eye by Israeli forces while seeking food for his family near a United States and Israeli-backed GHF site in Gaza. Doctors treating him say he is unlikely to regain sight in his left eye, highlighting the dire situation in Gaza where civilians are struggling to access basic necessities.
Abu Jazar recounted the harrowing experience saying, “It was my first time going to the distribution point… I went there because my siblings and I had no food. We couldn’t find anything to eat.” He described the chaos as Israeli soldiers opened fire, saying, “We were running when they began shooting at us. I was with three others; three of them were hit. As soon as we started running, they opened fire. Then I felt something like electricity shoot through my body. I collapsed to the ground. I felt as though I had been electrocuted … I didn’t know where I was, I just blacked out.”
The incident is part of a larger crisis, with the Gaza Health Ministry reporting 119 bodies and 866 wounded Palestinians arriving at hospitals over the past 24-hour reporting period. At least 65 Palestinians were killed while seeking aid, and 511 more were wounded. The United Nations has reported that over 1,300 aid seekers have been killed since the GHF began operating in May.
The situation in Gaza is dire, with Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary reporting that only 80 to 100 trucks are entering Gaza daily, despite a “humanitarian pause” aimed at increasing aid. “Palestinians are struggling to get a bag of wheat flour. They’re struggling to find a food parcel. And this shows the fact that this pause and all the Israeli claims are not true because on the ground, Palestinians are starving,” she said.
The crisis has worsened to the point where at least 175 people, including 93 children, have died from starvation due to Israel’s punishing blockade. Over 6,000 Palestinian children are being treated for malnutrition, highlighting the urgent need for humanitarian aid.
The UN human rights office has expressed horror at the repeated incidents of Palestinians being shot or shelled while seeking food, warning that such attacks could constitute war crimes under international law. “We are horrified at the repeated incidents, continuously reported in recent days across Gaza, and we call for an immediate end to these senseless killings,” the office said.
The situation in Gaza requires immediate attention and action to prevent further humanitarian crises. The international community must work together to ensure that aid reaches those in need and that civilians are protected from harm.