New aid system in Gaza has started distributing food as dozens are killed in latest Israeli bombings
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A new aid system in Gaza has opened its first distribution hubs in the territory, according to a US-backed group that is taking over handling of supplies.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is backed by Israel and the United States but has been rejected by the United Nations and other aid groups, which say that Israel is trying to use food as a weapon.
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The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
BBC defends its Gaza coverage after criticism from the White House
THE BBC HAS defended its reporting of an incident in which Palestinians were killed near a Gaza aid centre, after the White House accused the broadcaster of taking 'the word of Hamas'. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people on Sunday near the US-backed aid centre. The Israeli military, however, denied its troops had fired on civilians in or around the centre, and both it and the aid centre's administrator accused Hamas of sowing false rumours. Responding to a question about the incident, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday the BBC had to 'correct and take down' its story about the incident. 'The administration is aware of those reports and we are currently looking into the veracity of them because, unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth,' she said. 'We like to look into it when they speak, unlike the BBC, who had multiple headlines,' she said, citing stories that gave different death tolls. 'And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying 'We reviewed the footage and couldn't find any evidence of anything',' she added. But the BBC said the White House claims were not accurate and that it had not removed its story. Advertisement 'The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism,' it said in a statement. It said headlines giving varying death tolls were 'totally normal' journalistic practice due to the story being 'updated throughout the day with the latest fatality figures as they came in from various sources'. It said the death tolls were always 'clearly attributed, from the first figure of 15 from medics, through the 31 killed from the Hamas-run health ministry to the final Red Cross statement of 'at least 21′', it added. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its field hospital in Rafah received 179 people, including 21 pronounced dead on arrival. Leavitt also criticised the Washington Post for its reporting of the incident. The Post deleted one article over sourcing issues 'because it and early versions of the article didn't meet Post fairness standards'. 'The article and headline were updated on Sunday evening making it clear that there was no consensus about who was responsible.' The BBC has previously faced criticism of its coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict. In February, it apologised and admitted 'serious flaws' over a documentary – 'Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone' – after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a senior Hamas figure.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Irish Examiner
US and Israeli-backed group pauses food delivery in Gaza after deadly shootings
An Israeli and US-backed group paused food delivery at its three distribution sites in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after health officials said dozens of Palestinians were killed in a series of shootings near the sites this week. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said it was in discussions with the Israeli military on better guiding foot traffic near the sites and enhancing military training procedures to promote safety. The move came a day after Israeli forces acknowledged opening fire as people headed toward a GHF distribution hub in the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah, a military zone off limits to independent media. Gaza health officials, the Red Cross and the UN rights office said 27 people were killed on Tuesday and witnesses blamed Israeli forces. Israel's military said it fired near people it described as suspects who it said approached its forces and ignored warning shots. It says it is looking into reports of casualties. 80 Number thought to have been killed since the aid sites opened At least 80 people have been killed since the sites opened last week, according to hospital officials, including dozens in similar shootings at roughly the same location on Sunday and Monday, when the military also said it had fired warning shots. GHF says there has been no violence in the aid sites themselves but has acknowledged the potential dangers people face when travelling to them on foot. Thousands of Palestinians walk to the sites early each morning, desperate for food and hoping to beat the crowds, and pass near Israeli forces in the predawn darkness. GHF said it asked the Israeli military, which is sometimes referred to as the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces), to 'introduce measures that guide foot traffic in a way that minimises confusion or escalation risks near IDF military perimeters; develop clearer IDF-issued guidance to help the population transit safely; enhance IDF force training and refine internal IDF procedures to support safety.' Israel and the United States say they supported the establishment of the new aid system to prevent Hamas from stealing aid and selling it to finance its militant activities. Displaced Palestinians return to retrieve their belongings from their homes in the area where the Israeli army operated in the northern Gaza on Wednesday (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) Israel has not claimed that Hamas fired in the area of the GHF sites. The United Nations, which operates a longstanding aid system that can deliver to hundreds of locations across the territory, denies there has been any systematic diversion of aid by Hamas, saying it has mechanisms to prevent that. The UN has refused to take part in the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who gets aid and by forcing Palestinians to travel to just three distribution hubs, two of which are in the southernmost city of Rafah. Israel imposed a complete ban on food and other imports for more than two months before easing the restrictions in May. UN agencies say lingering restrictions, the breakdown of law and order inside Gaza, and widespread looting have made it difficult to deliver assistance. Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza is at risk of famine if Israel does not lift its blockade and stop the military campaign it renewed in March, when it shattered a ceasefire with Hamas. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Octobr 7 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90% of the population, and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.
The Journal
4 days ago
- The Journal
Aid distribution centres in Gaza closed today after Israel declares access roads 'combat zones'
AID DISTRIBUTION CENTRES in Gaza are closed today after the Israeli army declared the roads leading to them 'combat zones'. Israeli soldiers have fired on crowds multiple times in the areas near centres run by the highly controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it began operating in the Palestinian territory last week. Twenty-seven people were killed in southern Gaza yesterday near one of the centres. The UN and NGOs in Gaza have refused to deal with the GFH, officially a private effort with opaque funding and backing from the US and Israel, saying the project does not align with humanitarian principles and aids Israel's war efforts by weaponising aid. Israel recently eased its blockade of the Palestinian enclave, but the UN has said the entire population remains at risk of famine. The GHF said its 'distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work' on Wednesday and would resume operations on Thursday. The Israeli army, which confirmed the temporary closure, warned against travelling 'on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones'. Following yesterday's massacre near one of GHF's centres, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres decried the killing of Palestinians seeking food aid as 'unacceptable'. Israeli authorities and the GHF – which uses contracted US security – have denied allegations that the Israeli army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages at GHF sites. The Israeli army said it fired on 'suspects' who were moving towards its troops and that the incident is under investigation. Advertisement This morning, Gaza's civil defence agency said that at least 16 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. 'At least 12 people were killed, including several children and women, in a strike by an Israeli drone this morning on a tent for displaced persons' near Khan Younis, the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that four more people had been killed in other strikes. Since Israel violated a ceasefire with Hamas on 18 March, its renewed offensive has killed at least 4,4240 people, taking the overall recorded death toll to 54,510, most of whom were civilians. 'It's a trap' At a hospital in southern Gaza, the family of Reem al-Akhras, who was killed in the shooting at Rafah's Al-Alam roundabout near GHF's facility, were beside themselves with grief. 'She went to bring us some food, and this is what happened to her,' her son Zain Zidan said, his face streaked with tears. Akhras's husband, Mohamed Zidan, said 'every day unarmed people' were being killed. 'This is not humanitarian aid – it's a trap.' UN human rights chief Volker Turk called such attacks against civilians 'unconscionable' and said they 'constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime'. The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile said 'Gazans face an 'unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents'. The UN Security Council will vote today on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza, a measure expected to be vetoed by the United States. With reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
