More than 30 aid seekers killed, Gaza claims
More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured in south Gaza near a food distribution site, the health ministry said, as witnesses reported Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid and Israel denied it.
The US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said food was handed out without incident on Sunday (local time) at the distribution point in Rafah and there were no deaths or injuries.
GHF released undated video to support its statement that showed dozens of people gathering around piles of boxes. Reuters could not independently verify the video or what took place.
Witnesses said the Israeli military opened fire as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive food aid. Israel's military said that an initial inquiry found soldiers had not fired on civilians while they were near or within the distribution site.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry said 31 people were killed with a single gunshot wound to the head or chest from Israeli fire as they were gathered in the Al-Alam district aid distribution area in Rafah. It said 169 were injured.
In addition to Israeli gunshots, residents and medics said an Israeli tank had opened fire at thousands of people en route to the Rafah site.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received 179 casualties, most with gunshot or shrapnel wounds.
"All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site. This is the highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident since the establishment of the field hospital over a year ago," ICRC said.
The United Nations has said most of Gaza's 2 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid entering the strip.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more. The Israeli military has said GHF had established four sites so far.
The organization's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations which say GHF does not follow humanitarian principles.
There were chaotic scenes as hungry Gazans rushed its sites last week. Hamas reported deaths and injuries in the tumult, and Israel said its troops fired warning shots.
Because the GHF distribution points are few and all in south Gaza, UN officials have said its plans force Palestinians, especially in the north, to relocate and face unsafe conditions.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN's Palestinian relief agency, condemned Sunday's deaths and said in a statement on X that "aid distribution has become a death trap".
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office accused Israel of using aid as a weapon, "employed to exploit starving civilians and forcibly gather them at exposed killing zones, which are managed and monitored by the Israeli military".
At Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city where some casualties were brought, Gaza paramedic Abu Tareq said there was "a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points."
Israel denies that people in Gaza are starving because of its actions, saying it is facilitating aid deliveries and pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centres and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza.
US President Donald Trump said last month that a lot of people in Gaza were "starving".
Israel accuses Hamas of stealing supplies intended for civilians and using them to entrench its hold on Gaza. Hamas denies looting supplies and has executed a number of suspected looters.
Reda Abu Jazar said her brother was killed as he waited to collect food near the Rafah aid distribution centre.
"Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us," she said, as Palestinian men gathered for funeral prayers.
The Red Crescent reported that 14 Palestinians were injured on Sunday near a separate GHF aid site in central Gaza. CEASEFIRE TALKS FALTER
Israel and Hamas meanwhile traded blame for the faltering of a new Arab and US mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a US-backed ceasefire proposal, but Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable".
Egypt and Qatar said in a joint statement that they are continuing efforts to overcome disagreements and reach a ceasefire.
Hamas on Sunday welcomed those efforts and expressed its readiness to start a round of indirect negotiations immediately to reach an agreement, the group said on Sunday in a statement.
Israel began its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza.
Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
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- RNZ News
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We're all going to make mistakes." She firmly believes the solution is to find the root cause of the problem and work on that as food is often the symptom of a situation — hence the use of the iceberg analogy. "So when people understand themselves, that is the first point of change. So through my 20 years of working, the biggest thing I know is that awareness is the first stage of change." The book aims to help people understanding why they struggle with food — why they eat when they are bored or tired or to manage their emotions. "We eat very habitually. People finish their food off their plate because we were told to do that when we were children. We eat when something is offered to us because it's rude to say no. We eat food when it's there at a morning tea shout or a lunch thing or picking out of our kids' lunch boxes when it's there. "There's so much eating and drinking that happens that has got absolutely nothing to do with us consciously, like, nourishing our bodies." So if people are able to eliminate what Turnbull calls "non-hungry" eating and manage those behaviours they do not need to go on a diet because a lot of the extra food and drinking they are doing is what has sent them off-track. Instead of using a restrictive or limitation method which just makes the food more appealing, she urges people to flip the way they think about food. "What I encourage people to do instead then is actually approach food from a place of what can you add in to the way that you're eating to help nourish your body better? How can you improve the way that you eat?" She also looks at sleep. How much or how little people get impacts on appetite and cravings and ability to manage emotions. It helps to look at how people grew up, their parents' relationship with food and how that influences their own behaviours, she says. Turnbull grew up when everyone's mothers were going to Weightwatchers or on a diet and watching their weight. It was one of her mother's diet books that triggered her own journey to an eating disorder including secret bingeing and throwing up. She was in her second year of university when her mental health took a turn for the worse and she decided she wanted it to be all over but luckily a friend walked in and took her to the doctor. Getting her mother to proof-read the book was very difficult. "She cried a lot because she didn't know what happened to me. I didn't go into detail of what happened, but dear God, it was a hard read." It was also hard as her mother blamed herself despite her behaviour being completely normal for that era. "It's like smoking, you know, no-one knew the implications of putting your kid on a diet or telling them they were a bit too fat, you know?" Turnbull is thankful both of them have a healthier relationship with food these days. "She's in a really good place with food, because of the work that I have done. And I said, 'Mum, if we'd not been through this journey together, this book and the work that we've done together is not going to help all the other mothers and daughters out there that have been through the same thing'." The important thing for parents to realise is that children are watching carefully their language and actions around food as it is behaviour not words that children take in, she says. "It's so difficult for children to eat well in this modern environment that we live in. But they are not listening to what you say, they are watching what you do." But what Turnbull wants people to be aware of is that they are only human and do not have to be perfect every day. She aims for a balanced lifestyle which means nothing is off limits and she enjoys the odd treat. And no, she is not judging you when she sees you in the supermarket or in a restaurant. "I would just like to always say to people, I don't care what's in your trolley. If I'm around a friend's house or out for dinner, I genuinely am not thinking about what other people are eating. They're probably thinking about it more than I am, to be honest. There's no place for judgement." The book End Your Fight With Food , Claire Turnbull. How to change your eating habits for good, Allen and Unwin, RRP $36.99. Where to get help: Lifeline: 0800-543-354 or (09) 522-2999 Suicide Prevention Helpline: 0508-828-865 (0508 TAUTOKO) Youthline: 0800-376-633 or free text 234 Samaritans: 0800-726-666
