UN human rights experts condemned the enforced disappearances of Palestinians at aid distribution sites on Thursday, urging Israeli authorities to halt the targeting of the starving Palestinian population.

The UN received reports citing several individuals, including one child, who have been forcibly disappeared while visiting food aid distribution centers run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The group of seven experts called for an end to the atrocities and expressed concern that the enforced disappearances will discourage Palestinians from accessing food distribution points, increasing the risk of starvation.

The experts stated:

Reports of enforced disappearances targeting starving civilians seeking their basic right to food is not only shocking, but amount to torture… We are particularly concerned that once again the Palestinian people have been targeted and punished as such, and in the most desperate moment of man-made starvation, denied the aid they are forced to rely on, already laden with obstacles to access, the distribution points pose additional risks for devastated individuals of being forcibly disappeared.

The GHF is an Israeli and US-backed, non-governmental organization that states its mission is to distribute aid to Gaza.

Gunfire and attacks surrounding the crowded facilities result in mass casualties daily. From May 27 to July 31, the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported 859 Palestinian deaths in the vicinity of GHF sites. The OHCHR attributed a majority of the killings to the Israeli Defense Force (IDF).

Defense for Children International-Palestine (DCIP) additionally documented the disappearances of five Palestinian boys seeking aid. Ayed Abu Eqtaish, the accountability program director at DCIP, stated: “Israeli forces are shooting, detaining, and disappearing Palestinian children seeking aid in Gaza… [F]orces have refused to disclose the numbers, names, and whereabouts of Palestinian children from Gaza in military custody, and these children have had no contact with the outside world.”

The IDF refuses to provide any information on the disappeared individuals. GHF spokesman Chapin Fay denied any casualties around the organization’s sites.

A recent report released by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that a man-made famine is currently occurring in Gaza. According to the IPC, the deliveries made by the GHF “do not meet the criteria to be classified as humanitarian assistance.”

Enforced disappearances and intentional starvation as weapons of war are violations of international law. Both are prohibited under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and may amount to crimes against humanity or war crimes.