Israel-Palestine War: Gaza’s Government Media Office has issued a strong statement after reportedly discovering opioids inside humanitarian flour bags distributed in the besieged Palestinian enclave. The Hamas-run authority stated on Saturday that the painkiller Oxycodone was found in flour sacks delivered by US- and Israeli-supported aid distribution centres.
The media office said it has already documented four testimonies from civilians who uncovered these pills inside flour bags. In a chilling allegation, the office suggested the possibility that some narcotics may have been ground or mixed directly into the flour, raising alarms about a coordinated attempt to compromise public health.
Notably, Oxycodone is used to relieve pain severe enough to require opioid treatment and when other pain medicines did not work well enough or cannot be tolerated.
What Gaza said on narcotic pills in flour bags?
In a statement posted on Telegram as quoted by Al Jazeera, the Gaza Government Media Office declared: “We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for this heinous crime of spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within. It is part of a systematic policy that constitutes an extension of the genocide it is waging against our Palestinian people.”
The statement accused Israel of using narcotics as a “soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians,” likening the tactic to a war crime and a direct violation of international humanitarian law.
US-backed aid centres under scrutiny
The allegations are particularly damaging given that the aid in question was delivered through US-run distribution channels. Palestinian officials claim that the humanitarian assistance currently entering Gaza meets less than one per cent of the enclave’s basic needs. This fresh controversy threatens to further erode trust in international relief efforts.
The Israeli government has not officially responded to the accusations. However, Israeli media recently reported on plans to set up alternative aid distribution points in southern and central Gaza, bypassing traditional UN-led channels, a move strongly opposed by the United Nations and global humanitarian organisations.
Death toll in Gaza
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, Israeli forces have killed at least 549 Palestinians and wounded over 4,000 near aid centres and food truck routes since May 27. These figures come amid ongoing Israeli military operations launched in October 2023, which have now claimed over 56,300 Palestinian lives—most of them women and children.
In response to these actions, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Additionally, Israel is facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“This is not just about humanitarian aid being corrupted,” Gaza’s media office warned. “It is about a deliberate attack on the minds and bodies of our people. The world must take notice and act.”