UN condemned the use of food as a weapon in the Gaza Strip

(Patria) - The UN today called the use of food as a weapon in the Gaza Strip a "war crime", urging the Israeli army to "stop shooting at people trying to get it".

"The military use of food against civilians not only restricts or prevents their access to vital services, but also constitutes a war crime," said the UN Human Rights Office.

It adds that "desperate and hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of dying of starvation or risking death while trying to get food".

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), supported by the US and Israel, began distributing food in Gaza on May 26, after Israel completely cut off supplies to the Palestinian territory for more than two months.

The UN declared in May that "100 percent of the population" of the besieged territory was "at risk of starvation".

The UN and major humanitarian groups have refused to cooperate with the GHF, a reportedly private initiative with opaque funding, as they are concerned it is designed to respond to Israeli military objectives.

The UN chief for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, assessed that the current distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza is "disgusting" because it humiliates the population in search of food.

"The recently created so-called aid 'mechanism' is disgusting because it humiliates and degrades desperate people. It is a death trap, costing more lives than it saves," Lazzarini said.

According to UN data, more than 400 Palestinians have been killed and about 3,000 wounded in attacks near food distribution centers.