What is the ‘kill zone’ people in Gaza need to cross to receive aid?

Hundreds of starving, aid-seeking Palestinians in Gaza have lost their lives to Israeli aggression or starvation.

People of Gaza are starving, and one of the only ways they can get any food is to risk death by going to an aid distribution point run by the notorious Israel- and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

media’s Sanad agency has analysed satellite imagery of the GHF aid distribution centre in the Shakoush area of Rafah, taken on July 13.

We trace the journey of desperately hungry people waiting for hours, sometimes days, to walk a gauntlet of Israeli tanks, armoured vehicles, and drones where they risk being shot by Israeli soldiers.

Here is what they have to go through:

It is nowhere near as simple as “getting there”. People are allowed to take vehicles or carts up to a particular point, after which they have to disembark.

This point is at least 1.5km (0.9 miles) from the distribution centre, which means that they would have to walk back that distance carrying whatever sacks or boxes of food they can get.

To try to make sure they get something, people start arriving hours or even days before the centre distributes. Once they arrive, they do not leave because they do not want to lose their spot, as some have walked for hours already to get there.

The physical hardship is compounded by unbearable heat and long waits, as families often arrive 12 to 24 hours early to wait for a “go signal” to get some food.

Usually, hearing the “go signal” – normally from hovering drones – means people can approach the aid distribution point, which is still about 1km away (0.6 miles).

But things often do not work that way, and the risk of getting shot increases dramatically from here.

In addition to complete military control over Rafah, the Israeli army has barriers and numerous military vehicles encircling the aid distribution point.

How do people get into the centre?

Witnesses say Israeli sniper nests, drones and military outposts reinforce this control.

The displaced Palestinians wait for a signal from the Israeli military, which tells them that it is safe to go to the aid site. However, witness reports say people were shot at even when they waited for a “go signal” to head to the centre.

No, not always.

In addition to the general mistreatment that Palestinians face at the hands of Israeli soldiers, video has emerged of soldiers pepper-spraying Palestinians as they approach the centre.

For those people who get to the centre’s doors, the struggle is nowhere near over.

Journalist Muhannad Qeshta, himself displaced from Rafah, discussed the aid distribution process with media.

He described scenes of chaos fuelled by poor coordination, a lack of clear distribution schedules, and a total absence of measures to organise the crowd.

People rush into the centre, where tables have been set up with aid packages haphazardly piled on top. It becomes a free-for-all, with desperate people pushing and fighting to get any amount of food they can manage.

Most end up leaving empty-handed due to the overwhelming demand and limited supplies, with no order imposed on who gets an aid package.