UN Experts Condemn Disappearances of Starving Palestinians at Gaza Aid Sites

A group of United Nations human rights experts has issued a scathing condemnation of what they describe as the “heinous crime” of enforced disappearances targeting Palestinian civilians seeking food aid in Gaza. The experts, who monitor compliance with international human rights obligations, called on Israeli authorities to immediately halt the practice, warning that it amounts to torture and compounds the humanitarian catastrophe facing the besieged population.

Reports of Enforced Disappearances Amid Starvation

According to information received by the UN experts, Palestinian civilians—many already suffering acute hunger—have gone missing after attempting to access food aid at distribution centres operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Among the reported cases is a child who vanished after visiting a facility in Rafah.

These incidents occur against the backdrop of aerial bombardments and daily gunfire around aid distribution points, which have already caused mass casualties. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, tasked with coordinating food distribution, has contracted private military security companies to guard the sites. However, eyewitness accounts and independent reports suggest that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) units are also operating near or within these areas and are allegedly directly implicated in the disappearance of civilians.

Food as a Weapon of War

The UN experts condemned the practice of targeting civilians in desperate pursuit of food, stressing that it not only violates basic human dignity but also constitutes torture under international law.

“Using food as a tool to conduct targeted and mass disappearances needs to end now,” they stated. “In the most desperate moment of man-made starvation, Palestinians are being denied lifesaving aid and are instead subjected to fear, injury, and disappearance.”

The experts warned that growing reports of disappearances at food distribution points could deter starving families from seeking aid, thereby heightening the risk of famine in a population already pushed to the brink.

Legal and Human Rights Violations

Enforced disappearance is strictly prohibited under international law and is considered a grave human rights violation. The experts emphasized that Israel’s refusal to provide information about the fate or whereabouts of those allegedly detained constitutes a clear violation of the non-derogable prohibition of enforced disappearances.

“The failure to acknowledge deprivation of liberty by State agents and refusal to acknowledge detention constitute an enforced disappearance,” the experts stressed. They added that the obligation to investigate and prosecute such crimes is jus cogens—a peremptory norm of international law from which no derogation is permitted.

Calls for Immediate International Action

The experts called on Israeli authorities to clarify the status of all disappeared individuals, conduct thorough and impartial investigations, and prosecute those responsible. They also urged the international community not to remain silent in the face of what they described as “an apparent constellation of abhorrent crimes.”

Pending a full investigation, the experts recommended independent monitoring of the aid distribution system in Gaza, emphasizing the urgent need to dismantle what they described as an “inhumane” system run by a mix of humanitarian groups, private security contractors, and military actors. They further called for the reinstatement of a UN-led humanitarian aid system to ensure neutrality, safety, and transparency in food distribution.

A Deepening Humanitarian Catastrophe

The crisis unfolds as Gaza faces escalating hunger levels, with international agencies warning that large segments of the population are on the verge of famine. Restricted humanitarian access, damaged infrastructure, and ongoing hostilities have left civilians with limited avenues for survival.

Human rights observers caution that enforced disappearances not only inflict immediate suffering on families but also sow fear across entire communities, further destabilizing humanitarian efforts.

“The international community cannot stay silent,” the experts concluded. “Any delay in addressing these atrocities risks irreparable harm to a population already enduring unbearable hardship.”