The Government Media Office in Gaza announced Tuesday that 516 Palestinians have been killed and at least 3,799 wounded in what it described as a series of “Israeli-American death traps” targeting civilians struggling to access food aid across the besieged Gaza Strip.

According to the statement, Israeli occupation forces deliberately bombed and shelled aid distribution zones—particularly in Rafah and central Gaza—turning what were supposed to be lifelines for starving civilians into deadly ambushes. The majority of those killed were impoverished and displaced families, many of whom had already lost homes and relatives in earlier attacks.

An additional 39 people remain missing, feared to be buried under rubble or unaccounted for amid the ongoing chaos.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s unrelenting assault on Gaza has claimed or maimed the lives of approximately 180,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, according to humanitarian sources. Over 11,000 people remain missing, many believed to be trapped beneath collapsed shelters, destroyed homes, or aid lines.

Human rights organizations, including those affiliated with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have increasingly referred to Israel’s campaign as a genocidal war, citing overwhelming evidence of systematic targeting of civilians, infrastructure, and basic survival needs.

Despite multiple rulings by the ICJ demanding an end to military operations and protection of civilians, Israel continues its bombardment with full political and logistical support from the United States. Critics argue that this backing not only enables the violence but actively fuels it.

The so-called “new aid system”, which bypasses the United Nations and traditional relief agencies, has been condemned as a deeply flawed and militarized distribution mechanism. Palestinian officials and international humanitarian workers have decried it as a tool of collective punishment, accusing Israel and the U.S. of weaponizing humanitarian aid in a campaign of population control and psychological warfare.

"This is not aid—it is a trap," said a Gaza-based aid coordinator. “What we're seeing is a systematic effort to turn basic survival into a battlefield.”

As famine tightens its grip and international legal efforts are defied, Palestinians continue to call on the world to intervene—not just with words, but with decisive action. (ILKHA)