Gazans accuse Israel of sending food mixed with deadly narcotic oxycodone to starving population
- Last updated: June 29, 2025 | 23:05
In a development intensifying the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Palestinian authorities have accused aid centers backed by the United States and Israel of distributing flour contaminated with oxycodone—a powerful and highly addictive opioid.
According to the Gaza government’s media office, the pills were reportedly found hidden inside flour bags distributed by what it described as “American-Israeli” aid centers.
Medical professionals in Gaza, including Dr. Khalil Mazen Abu Nada and Pharmacist Omar Hamad, confirmed the presence of oxycodone either concealed within aid packages or mixed into the flour itself.
“We have documented four separate testimonies from citizens who discovered these pills in the flour bags,” the media office said in a statement, warning that the narcotic may have been crushed or dissolved directly into the flour. Officials fear a potential deliberate attempt to induce addiction and undermine public health.
Oxycodone is typically prescribed for severe or chronic pain, such as in cancer patients, and is known for its high potential for addiction. Side effects can include respiratory distress, hallucinations, and even death.
Labeling the incident a "heinous crime," Gaza officials accused Israeli authorities of turning humanitarian aid into a tool of harm. They alleged that the blockade is being used as a means to weaponize basic necessities, calling the aid centers “death traps” designed to destabilize Palestinian society.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a US-Israeli joint aid initiative—has come under particular scrutiny. Human rights organizations have criticized its lack of transparency and oversight, demanding its operations be suspended immediately. A coalition of 15 legal and human rights groups warned that involvement in such aid distribution could amount to complicity in international crimes, including war crimes and genocide.
The controversy comes amid other serious accusations against Israel. Israeli newspaper Haaretz recently reported that some Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers admitted to shooting unarmed Palestinians at food distribution points. Gaza’s Health Ministry claims that more than 500 Palestinians have been killed near aid collection centers since late May.
These developments follow the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, over alleged war crimes in Gaza. Separately, Israel is also defending itself against a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
As conditions worsen and starvation spreads, the reports of drug-laced aid have sparked global outrage and intensified calls for independent oversight of humanitarian operations in Gaza.