Khamenei Slams Israel’s Gaza Aid As “Cheap Form Of Genocide”, Says Palestinians Forced To “Die In Rubble Or Get Shot For Food”

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (File Photo: ANI)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has strongly condemned Israel's aid distribution system in Gaza and called it "a cheap form of genocide", ANI reported, quoting Al Jazeera.

In a post on X, Khamenei said that Israel has presented a grim choice to Palestinians in Gaza: "Either die in the rubble from hunger, or get shot while trying to get a food packet."

He stressed, "This is a cheap form of genocide carried out with Western precision. A nation that once died under bombs worth millions of dollars is now dying from bullets in queues for a few dollars' worth of food."

The United Nations has indicated that nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed in the last six weeks while trying to get aid from the Global Humanitarian Fund (GHF)'s aid distribution centers, ANI reported, quoting Al Jazeera.

Earlier, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini had reacted to the situation, saying that Gaza has become a "graveyard of children and starving people."

He further said that Israel is hatching a "cruel and cunning plan of murder" in Gaza, as reported by ANI, citing Al Jazeera.

"Inaction and silence are complicity. Under our watch, #Gaza has become a graveyard of children and starving people," Lazzarini wrote on X.

The UNRWA chief warned that Palestinians in Gaza face a cruel choice between starving or being shot, and urged immediate action to prevent further chaos.

"Absolutely not. They have a choice between two deaths: dying of hunger or being shot. The most cruel and cunning plan to murder with total impunity. Our norms and values are being buried. Inaction will lead to more chaos. It's time to act," he added.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said that from May to July 7, the UN has documented 798 deaths near aid centres in Gaza, as reported by ANI, citing Al Jazeera.

Israeli publication Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers and US contractors linked to the GHF have admitted to firing on unarmed Palestinians who had gathered for food.

(With ANI Inputs)