The UN raises the death toll from Israeli attacks on Palestinians trying to obtain food to 875.

MADRID, (EUROPA PRESS).- The United Nations on Tuesday raised the death toll of Palestinians shot dead by Israeli forces while trying to obtain food or humanitarian aid in the past six weeks to 875, including nearly 675 around distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), backed by the United States and Israel.

Thameen al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a press conference that the figures, corresponding to July 13, show that at least 875 people "have been killed in Gaza while trying to obtain food," of whom "674 were killed in the vicinity of GHF centers."

"The data is based on our own information gathering from reliable sources, including medical, human rights, and humanitarian organizations," he said, before emphasizing that the data "is being verified in line with the strict methodology" of the office, headed by Volker Turk.

He emphasized that data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, controlled by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), "is not the only source of information," although he insisted that "past experiences" with the ministry in other conflicts reveal that its data "was close to what could be subsequently verified."

"As you know, we do not have full access (to the Strip, due to the Israeli blockade), and the verification process in our office, due to our strict methodology, is still ongoing and will take time," said Al Kheetan, who reiterated the agency's call for investigations into "each of the killings" to "establish the facts" and hold those responsible "accountable."

Hamas has called on the United Nations to establish an "international commission" to investigate the deaths of civilians fired upon by Israeli forces during the delivery of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. It has emphasized that the information recently published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, to which the military confirmed having received orders to open fire on these individuals even though they posed no threat, represents "further confirmation of the true role of this criminal mechanism as a means of genocide."

The offensive against Gaza, launched in response to the attacks of October 7, 2023, which left some 1,200 dead and nearly 250 kidnapped, according to the Israeli government, has so far left more than 58,300 Palestinians dead, as reported by the authorities of the Palestinian enclave, controlled by Hamas, although there are fears that the figure is higher.