More than 170 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have joined forces to call for the dismantling of a food distribution system run by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group as civilian deaths and injuries mount near aid sites in Gaza.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began operating in the war-torn Gaza Strip in late May — becoming the linchpin of a new aid mechanism and diverting distribution from UN-led aid groups. Since then, at least 600 Palestinians have been killed in shootings and over 4,200 have been injured near GHF aid sites or on routes guarded by Israeli forces.

A joint declaration by 171 charities that was released Tuesday urges the international community to pressure Israel to halt the aid system and allow the UN to return to co-ordinating food distribution.

"Palestinians in Gaza face an impossible choice: Starve or risk being shot while trying desperately to reach food to feed their families," the statement said.

The United Nations, which has been critical of the GHF since its inception, says its distribution plan is "inherently unsafe" and a violation of humanitarian impartiality rules. Aid groups, including Save the Children, have also voiced concerns, saying the system puts civilians at risk of death and injury.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel's subsequent military assault has resulted in the deaths of over 56,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The war has displaced nearly the entire 2.3 million population in Gaza and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.

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UNICEF's Rosalia Bollen says the way aid is being distributed in Gaza is 'unsafe' and 'unfair' and says it has killed hundreds in Gaza. 'Nobody should have to choose between dying of hunger or risk being shot at when you try to get some food,' says the agency's communication specialist.

As well as Save the Children, other NGOs that have signed the declaration include Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Amnesty International.

The GHF responded to the NGOs' call to end the distribution system, saying it had delivered more than 52 million meals in five weeks and other humanitarian groups had "nearly all of their aid looted."

In a statement to media on Tuesday, the GHF said it is ready to collaborate with other aid groups.

"Instead of bickering and throwing insults from the sidelines, we would welcome other humanitarian groups to join us and feed the people in Gaza." 

Attacks reported near food distribution hubs

The GHF system limits food distribution to a small number of hubs under guard of armed contractors. There are currently four hubs, all close to Israeli military positions, where people must go to pick up their food.

The NGOs have accused the GHF of forcing hungry and weak people to trek for hours, sometimes through active conflict zones, to get the aid.

Children were killed or injured in 10 out of 19 deadly incidents reported near food distribution sites, according to Save the Children, which analyzed reports from the Gaza Media Office and the United Nations last week.

The GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system that Israel claims has allowed militants to divert aid. Hamas has denied it steals aid.

Last week, Israel's Military Advocate General ordered an investigation into possible war crimes over allegations that Israeli soldiers were ordered by the army to deliberately fire at Palestinians attempting to reach aid distribution sites, according to an exclusive report by Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Haaretz said officers and soldiers, who were unnamed, revealed that commanders "ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat."

The Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians have been harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following "lessons learned."