Tehran [Iran], June 20: On Thursday, Israeli troops killed at least 16 Palestinians trying desperately to get food in Gaza. On Wednesday, it was at least 29 Palestinians. The day before, at least 70 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces as they gathered at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution site in Khan Younis.
They were gunned down by drones, machine gun fire and tanks, according to survivors.
On Monday, at least 38 were killed in a similar manner while trying to get food, mostly in Rafah. And on Sunday, at least 17 were killed in southern and central Gaza.
The GHF is an Israeli and United States-backed body staffed by private security contractors. Israel set it up in May to replace United Nations-led relief operations, yet dozens of Palestinians have been gunned down on at least eight occasions at GHF sites.
"This happens to some extent every day. It's becoming a routine," said Yasser al-Banna, a journalist in Gaza.
"Now that Israel has started a war with Iran, everyone here in Gaza is scared that the world is going to forget about them," he told Al Jazeera.
Since Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, global attention on the plight of Palestinians in the occupied territory has faded from the headlines.
But Israel has continued to attack Palestinians in Gaza, while conducting deadly raids in the West Bank.
After the latest attack on Palestinians desperate for food, analysts and human rights monitors told Al Jazeera that they believe Israel is likely to commit more "massacres", while prioritising the welfare of Israelis as the war with Iran drags on. "Israel is using the diverted attention away from Gaza to continue to carry out atrocious crimes against starving civilians," said Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel and Palestine for the Middle East Council on Global Affairs think tank.
"We have also seen a lot of military and settler activity in the West Bank in recent days," he told Al Jazeera.
Israel's violence against helpless Palestinians at the GHF site on Tuesday resulted in the highest single death toll at any GHF site since the controversial organisation began operations last month. It has been lambasted for what opponents have called the militarisation of humanitarian aid relief. Yet Israel's chokehold siege on the enclave has pushed Palestinians to make an impossible choice: Whither away from hunger or risk their lives to obtain a food parcel.
"Israel's whole GHF scheme is just a way to increase the humiliation of Palestinians," said Ibrahim Nabeel, a Palestinian medic who has treated victims of the GHF attacks.
Along with sustaining its genocidal war in Gaza, Israel has also tightened its occupation over the West Bank since it began attacking Iran.
Several Palestinians told Al Jazeera that it is "impossible to move" from one village or town to another. The entrances to Palestinian villages and cities have been blocked off by Israeli forces, and the number of military checkpoints has increased. (Agencies)
Source: Qatar Tribune
