A harrowing report from Israel’s leading newspaper Haaretz has confirmed that Israeli troops are under direct orders to open fire on unarmed Palestinian civilians in Gaza as they attempt to access food, reinforcing growing international consensus that Israel’s siege amounts to a genocide.
Israeli soldiers describe using live fire, including machine guns, mortars, and grenade launchers, on civilians near aid distribution points. Since May 27, at least 549 people have been killed while trying to obtain food from centers run by the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—an Israeli-created body coordinated with U.S. evangelical groups and private security contractors.
Aid centers operated by the GHF open for just one hour per day, serving a population of over two million. According to an IDF soldier interviewed by Haaretz:
“It’s a killing field. Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day… No crowd control measures, no tear gas—just live fire with everything imaginable.”
The soldier compared the Israeli operation to a real-life version of Squid Game, stating the activity was referred to as “Operation Salted Fish”—a slang term for the children’s game “Red Light, Green Light.” If Palestinians moved toward food aid outside the designated hour, they were machine-gunned.
“Our form of communication is gunfire. Sometimes we just charge at them from close range… There’s no enemy. No weapons. No threat.”
Israel Shuts Crossings, Tightens Siege Amid Mass Starvation
On Thursday, Israel escalated its assault on Gaza by shutting aid crossings into the northern part of the enclave, according to The Guardian. Citing supposed intelligence that Hamas was intercepting supplies, Israeli authorities halted all aid deliveries to the north, cutting off one of the few lifelines to civilians already at risk of starvation.
The UN and humanitarian groups now warn of imminent famine.
The coordinated use of restricted aid distribution in the south and total closure in the north reveals a chilling logic: food is being weaponized. The pattern suggests that Israel’s policy is not only to deprive Palestinians of sustenance but to create the conditions for mass displacement. Observers argue that this amounts to a calculated strategy to ethnically cleanse Gaza and push its population into Egypt.
Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, condemned the GHF as a “cover for military operations,” where aid seekers are routinely targeted for death:
“This is a clear violation of international law and constitutes a war crime.”
He added that GHF’s selective operation schedule has become a mechanism for entrapment, exposing civilians to predictable gunfire when they attempt to access food.
No Safe Place Left
The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) head, Philippe Lazzarini, has issued repeated warnings:
“No place is safe in Gaza, and no one is spared.”
Despite this, Israel continues to reject calls for full and dignified humanitarian access. International appeals for respect of basic humanitarian principles have been ignored, as has the ICJ’s binding ruling ordering Israel to prevent acts of genocide.
Artillery Shells as Standard Procedure
The Haaretz report revealed that soldiers are regularly instructed to fire artillery shells at crowds as “warning shots”—even though commanders acknowledge they often kill.
“Every time we fire, there are casualties and deaths. And when someone asks why, there’s never a good answer.”
In one incident, after a shell was fired, civilians began to flee—only to be shot in the back by Israeli forces. When questioned, commanders replied that those fleeing were “still hiding” and that “they haven’t left.” The policy leaves civilians in a trap: shot if they stand, shot if they run, and shot if they hide.
Over 100,000 Dead: “One of the Bloodiest Wars of the Century”
A new study by Prof. Michael Spagat, a leading expert in wartime mortality, estimates that over 100,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. According to his analysis, the war:
- Has the highest ratio of civilian to combatant deaths of any modern conflict;
- Shows that 56% of victims are women and children under 18;
- Has the highest per capita death toll of any 21st-century conflict.
“These data position the war in Gaza as one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 21st century,” Haaretz reported. “And possibly the most lethal to civilians relative to combatants since World War II.”
Manufactured Legitimacy
While the Haaretz report highlights Israel’s tactics on the ground, it also exposes the broader political strategy: the use of limited, heavily militarized aid distribution as a public relations tool. According to military sources, the Israeli government believes that GHF’s operations have helped prevent “a total collapse of international legitimacy” for the war.
The implication is damning: the appearance of aid is being used to mask a program of systematic extermination.
“Gaza doesn’t interest anyone anymore,” a reservist told Haaretz. “The loss of human life means nothing… That’s what’s supposed to happen.”
A Genocide Unfolding in Plain Sight
International legal experts, including at the International Court of Justice, have already declared that the situation in Gaza meets the criteria for plausible genocide. The testimonies published by Haaretz remove any remaining doubt. This is not a war of accidents or miscalculation—it is a deliberate campaign targeting civilians with starvation, displacement, and direct lethal force.
With food now weaponized, aid centers turned into “death traps”, and over 100,000 people killed, Israel’s war on Gaza has entered a new and darker phase. The question facing the world is not just whether to intervene—but how many more will die before it does.
