Drugs Found Inside US Flour Aid Packages for Gaza

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Palestinian authorities in Gaza said on Friday that narcotic pills were found in a bag of flour shipped by the United States to the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

In a statement as cited by Anadolu, the Gaza government's media office announced that Palestinians found the prescription painkiller oxycodone in flour bags they received from the U.S.-managed aid distribution point in Gaza (GHF).

"It is possible that these pills were deliberately ground or dissolved inside the flour itself, which constitutes a direct assault on public health," the office warned.

The media office held Israel fully responsible for this "heinous crime" aimed at spreading addiction and destroying the social fabric of Palestine from within.

"This is a part of the ongoing Israeli genocide against the Palestinians," it said, referring to Israel's use of drugs as a "soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians."

Israel has planned to set up four aid distribution points in southern and central Gaza, aimed, according to Israeli media, at evacuating Palestinians from the northern Gaza to the south.

Israel's mechanism has been opposed by the international community and the UN, which is seen as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass aid delivery via the UN channels.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, at least 549 Palestinians have been killed and over 4,000 others injured due to Israeli army shootings near aid centers and UN food truck locations since May 27.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Friday, June 27, 2025, reported that officers of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have been ordered to deliberately shoot unarmed Palestinians in Gaza at aid distribution sites. The order has been in effect for the past month.

Haaretz is the oldest newspaper in Israel, known for its left-leaning political stance. The newspaper is published in Hebrew and English, in print and online. It often takes a critical stance toward government policies and social issues.

In its report, it quoted an unnamed Israeli soldier serving in the Gaza Strip.

The newspaper said that commanders ordered the Israeli military to shoot Palestinians near aid distribution sites, even though they were unarmed and posed no threat.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has launched brutal attacks on Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 56,300 Palestinians, most of whom were women and children.

Last November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its war in the enclave.

Nurdin Saleh contributed to this article

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