Gaza ministry says Israel killed more than 30 aid seekers, Israel denies
More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured on Sunday near a food distribution site in south Gaza, 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 (GHF) said food was distributed without incident on Sunday at the distribution point in Rafah and there were no deaths or injuries.
GHF released an 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 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.
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eNCA
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27 killed as Israeli army opens fire near Gaza aid point
GAZA CITY - Twenty-seven people were killed in southern Gaza on Tuesday as Israeli troops opened fire near a US-backed aid centre, with the military saying the incident was under investigation. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres decried the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid as "unacceptable" and the UN rights chief condemned attacks on civilians as "a war crime", after a similar shooting near the same site on Sunday. Gaza's civil defence agency said that "27 people were killed and more than 90 injured in the massacre targeting civilians who were waiting for American aid in the Al-Alam area of Rafah", in the territory's south. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal earlier told AFP the deaths occurred "when Israeli forces opened fire with tanks and drones", while Israel said troops fired towards "suspects" who had ignored warning shots. The International Committee of the Red Cross gave the same death toll but without mentioning the Israeli forces. The organisation said Gazans face an "unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents". The latest shooting occurred about a kilometre (just over half a mile) from a centre run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which Israel has worked with to implement a new aid distribution mechanism. The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the group over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. At a hospital in southern Gaza, the family of Reem al-Akhras, who was killed in the shooting at Rafah's the Al-Alam roundabout, were beside themselves with grief. "She went to bring us some food, and this is what happened to her," her son Zain Zidan said. AFP | Paz PIZARRO, Omar KAMAL, Cléa PÉCULIER Akhras's husband, Mohamed Zidan, said "every day, unarmed people" were being killed. "This is not humanitarian aid; it's a trap." The Israeli military maintains that its forces do not prevent Gazans from collecting aid. Army spokesman Effie Defrin said the Israeli soldiers had fired at suspects who "were approaching in a way that endangered" the troops, adding the "incident is being investigated". - 'Unconscionable' - Rania al-Astal, 30, said she had gone to Al-Alam with her husband to try to get food. "The shooting began intermittently around 5:00 am. Every time people approached Al-Alam roundabout, they were fired upon," she told AFP. "But people didn't care and rushed forward all at once -- that's when the army began firing heavily." Fellow witness Mohammed al-Shaer, 44, said at first "the Israeli army fired shots into the air, then began shooting directly at the people". GHF said the operations at its site went ahead safely on Tuesday. A military statement said troops saw some people "deviating from the designated access routes" to the Al-Alam aid point, and fired warning shots. When "the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects", it added. The previous shooting on Sunday killed at least 31 people at the Al-Alam roundabout, rescuers said. A military source acknowledged "warning shots were fired towards several suspects". AFP | The world body's human rights chief Volker Turk called such attacks "unconscionable". "Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime," he said. The White House said it was "looking into the veracity" of the reports from Rafah. Israel has come under mounting pressure to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, where people are facing severe shortages after Israel imposed a more than two-month blockade. The blockade was recently eased, but the aid community has urged Israel to allow in more food, faster. AFP | - The US-backed group named a new chairman on Tuesday, while a consulting firm that helped create it said it had terminated its contract with GHF. Israel has stepped up its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to defeat Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war. Apart from the aid centre incident, Gaza's civil defence agency reported 19 killed in Israeli attacks on Tuesday. The army said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424. The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,240 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,510, mostly civilians. Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
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4 hours ago
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Nation in shock as a mother sells her own child
Staff Reporter | Published 2 hours ago The tragic case of a two-year-old boy allegedly sold by his mother for R75 000 has sent shockwaves through South Africa, reigniting urgent questions about the country's deepening social, psychological, and spiritual crisis. Keneilwe Shalaba, 28, appeared this week before the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate's Court on charges of human trafficking and conspiracy to commit a crime. She is accused of selling her toddler son, Kutlwano, last November. The boy's body was discovered last week following the arrest of a traditional healer allegedly connected to the case. According to police, the money — R75 000 — was deposited into Shalaba's bank account on the same day the child went missing. The transaction and the months-long silence that followed left the local community stunned, and the courtroom was packed with outraged residents demanding justice. 'This isn't just a legal case. It's a symptom of a much deeper spiritual and societal sickness,' said one local pastor who joined community members outside the court. As more details emerge, so too does the question: how could a mother sell her own child? Experts believe the answer lies not only in poverty and desperation but in a far more unsettling realm — spiritual decay and psychological collapse. Dr Thandi Mokoena, a Johannesburg-based psychiatrist, says the case is emblematic of growing mental health disorders fuelled by drug abuse, trauma, and lack of support. 'We are seeing a breakdown of basic empathy and maternal instinct. Substance abuse is a key factor, but so is spiritual confusion. Many individuals are turning to harmful practices in search of hope or financial gain.' Police believe Shalaba may have been influenced or manipulated by individuals involved in occult practices or ritual trafficking. The involvement of a sangoma (traditional healer) has raised further fears about children being used in ritual killings — a chilling reality that, while rare, is not unheard of in some parts of the country. This case underscores a broader crisis in South Africa — one that goes beyond crime statistics and courtrooms. Many citizens and spiritual leaders are calling it a 'spiritual war' — a collapse of values, mental well-being, and community structures. 'Satanism, occultism, and false prophets have infiltrated our towns,' said local activist Lebo Mhlongo. 'People are turning to darkness in search of power and wealth. We are fighting a war for the soul of our nation.' The Department of Social Development has called for stronger protective systems for vulnerable children and mental health support for families. But overwhelmed by widespread poverty, unemployment, and under-resourced police units, progress remains slow. Meanwhile, South Africa continues to wrestle with rising cases of human trafficking. According to 2024 data from the Human Rights Commission, thousands of children are reported missing each year, many believed to be trafficked for labour, sex work, or ritual purposes. In court, Shalaba showed no emotion. Her legal team has yet to enter a plea, and the case was postponed to allow further investigation. The sangoma arrested in connection with Kutlwano's death is expected to appear in court later this month. Outside the courtroom, the atmosphere was tense and emotional. 'What happened to that little boy is evil,' one community member shouted. 'We are here because this must never happen again.' A memorial service for Kutlwano is scheduled for this week. ''Community leaders are expected to use the gathering to call for national prayer and healing. The murder of Kutlwano Shalaba is more than a criminal act — it is a mirror reflecting the spiritual and psychological battles raging within society.''
IOL News
5 hours ago
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'Massacre of civilians': 27 killed and over 160 injured in aid distribution attack as Gaza's health system teeters on collapse
A plume of smoke erupts as vehicles move along a road used by displaced people fleeing from Khan Yunis westwards to al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip after the Israeli military had issued an evacuation order the previous day. The Ministry described the attack as a "massacre of citizens waiting for aid' and stated that many of the injured remain in critical condition. Initial reports indicated that there were 24 fatalities and dozens of injuries, but the number rose as more victims arrived at overwhelmed and heavily under-resourced hospitals. A deadly Israeli strike on Palestinians awaiting humanitarian aid in the Al-Alam distribution zone in Rafah Governorate has left at least 27 people dead and over 161 wounded, many critically, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said in a statement released on Tuesday. The strike came amid escalating attacks and ongoing evacuations ordered by the Israeli military. These attacks are directly impacting Gaza's few remaining health facilities. Of particular concern is the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Yunis, which is the last operational hospital in southern Gaza that provides specialised services. 'Dozens of patients and wounded in intensive care, operating rooms, emergency units, and neonatal wards face certain death if the complex goes out of service,' warned the Health Ministry. Health System on the Brink Gaza's medical infrastructure is nearing total collapse. According to the Ministry, operating rooms, ICUs, and ERs are overwhelmed by the influx of casualties. Additionally, there is a severe shortage of life-saving medicines, surgical supplies, and diagnostic equipment. Generators are running on minimal fuel, risking total blackouts in critical care areas. Starvation and Malnutrition As the health system is on the brink of collapse and attacks continue, Israel's blockade threatens the entire population of the Gaza Strip with famine, global hunger monitor Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative has warned in a report. The report stated the Gaza Strip 'is still confronted with a critical risk of famine' after over a year and a half of war, with the vast majority of its approximately 2.1 million people at severe risk. In March, the Israeli military halted the entry of food, water, medicine and all other life-saving supplies into Gaza. It is June and the blockade continues with no sign of stopping or a ceasefire. The report added that approximately 93 percent of Gaza's population is experiencing acute food shortages. Human Rights Watch reported last month that children in Gaza have been dying from starvation-related complications since the Israeli government began using starvation as a weapon of war, which it deemed a war crime. Doctors and families in Gaza described children, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, suffering from severe malnutrition and dehydration, and hospitals ill-equipped to treat them. To make matters worse, food prices in Gaza are soaring excessively. The IPC report points to a 3,000 percent increase in the price of wheat flour since February in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in the south.
