Gaza: Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, warned of the Israeli-backed aid distribution system in Gaza, considering it to be threatening the lives of civilians in the Strip.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the UNICEF Executive Director said in a statement on Thursday that the world “is witnessing the chaos caused by the aid distribution system supported by Israel, bypassing the United Nations.” She noted that “the new system, overseen by an American organization called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, threatens to exacerbate the situation in the Strip.”

Russell added that aid is distributed through a few points in Gaza, “forcing civilians to travel long distances and putting them in danger.” She continued that the new aid distribution mechanism contradicts humanitarian principles and fails to meet Israel’s obligations under international law.

She expressed concerns that aid distribution sites could become potential military targets due to the presence of American and Israeli security personnel. She also noted that the “militarization” of humanitarian aid will expose Gaza’s children to further suffering and death.

Russell stated that the aid currently distributed in Gaza is estimated at only 10% of what entered the Strip during the last truce. She emphasized that the current aid distribution plan cannot support a population of 2.1 million people, including more than one million children.

She reported that approximately 17,000 children have been killed and more than 34,000 others injured during the nearly 20-month war on Gaza.