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

A young Palestinian receives medical care at Nasser Hospital after being wounded in a gunfire as people were receiving humanitarian aid in Rafah on July 3, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 04 July 2025
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UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by US group

  • Deaths near aid points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and near humanitarian convoys

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: The UN 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 UN 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 UN teams to the areas.


Syrian security forces dismantle Daesh terror cell near Damascus

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Syrian security forces dismantle Daesh terror cell near Damascus

  • Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, struck a terrorist hideout and arrested several militants
  • Syria and the US accuse the group of carrying out a deadly ambush against its personnel in Palmyra

LONDON: Syrian internal security units dismantled a cell of the Daesh terror group in the Daraya area southwest of Damascus on Sunday.

Authorities, in coordination with the General Intelligence Directorate, raided a Daesh hideout and arrested several militants.

Syria and the United States have accused the terror group of carrying out a deadly ambush earlier this month that resulted in the deaths of three Americans and injuries to two Syrian service personnel in Palmyra, in central Syria.

Brig. Gen. Ahmad al-Dalati, head of internal security in the Damascus countryside, announced that the operation resulted in the dismantling of the cell and the arrest of a Daesh leader, along with six other members. Several weapons and ammunition were also seized, he added.

He said the operation is part of the interior ministry’s broader strategy to eliminate terrorist sources, avert threats to community security, and maintain peace and stability in the country, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.

On Friday, the US military launched large-scale retaliatory strikes and group operations against Daesh targets and operatives in Syria.