A group of UN experts has condemned the enforced disappearance of Palestinian civilians seeking food aid at distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, urging Israeli authorities to put an immediate end to these abuses. The experts described reports of civilians, including children, being forcibly disappeared while attempting to access basic food assistance as shocking and tantamount to torture. They emphasized that using food as a tool to carry out targeted or mass disappearances must stop immediately.
According to information received by the experts, enforced disappearances occurred at aid distribution sites in Rafah, where aerial bombardment and daily gunfire have caused mass casualties. While the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is responsible for providing secure aid sites and has contracted private military security companies for protection, reports indicate that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) are operating in and around these facilities and may be directly involved in the disappearances. The experts expressed particular concern that Palestinian civilians, already facing man-made starvation, are being punished and denied essential aid, heightening the risk of further starvation and suffering.
The UN experts warned that such enforced disappearances could deter individuals from seeking food assistance, compounding the humanitarian crisis. They also criticized the IDF for refusing to provide information about the fate and whereabouts of those taken, which constitutes an enforced disappearance under international law, as the prohibition is absolute and non-derogable.
Calling on the international community to act, the experts demanded that Israeli authorities clarify the fate of the disappeared, conduct thorough and impartial investigations, and hold perpetrators accountable. They stressed that such investigations are a norm of jus cogens and must not be obstructed. The experts also noted that while they have raised these concerns with the Israeli Government, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, and the private security companies, independent monitoring remains crucial until the inhumane aid system is dismantled and replaced with a UN-led humanitarian framework.
