MSF condemns ‘deliberate' Israeli aid restrictions amid deadly shooting at Gaza food site
The incident, which killed over 51 Palestinians and injured more than 200 others, has intensified criticism over the handling of humanitarian operations in the besieged enclave.
According to the Hamas-run civil defence agency, Israeli forces opened fire on a crowd gathering near a World Food Programme site to the east of Khan Younis.
Witnesses reported that Israeli drones fired two missiles, followed by tank shells from a position approximately 400 to 500 metres away. Many victims were taken to Nasser Hospital, which has been overwhelmed by the influx.
MSF has highlighted a dire pattern of escalating violence and dwindling aid access. In a statement released on 19 June, 2025, the organisation accused Israeli authorities of enforcing policies that keep medical, fuel, and food supplies at a dangerously minimal level, despite claiming to allow humanitarian corridors.
Aitor Zabalgogeazkoa, MSF's emergency coordinator in Gaza, said, 'The charade of only allowing medical and fuel supplies at the very last-minute ahead of a looming disaster is nothing but a band aid on a gushing wound. The weaponisation of aid must end.'
MSF field hospitals, particularly in Deir Al-Balah, have seen a 190% increase in gunshot wound cases within a week. Clinics in Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah recorded their highest patient intake to date. These conditions are exacerbated by a lack of gauze, medications, therapeutic food for malnourished children, and essential equipment powered by fuel.
Amy Low, MSF's medical team leader in Gaza City, stressed that neonatal care is being compromised due to power outages. At Al-Helou Maternity Hospital, oxygen and ventilators critical to newborns' survival are frequently shut down due to electricity cuts.
MSF also noted that access to clean water has sharply decreased, as fuel shortages cripple desalination plants. Ambulances and other vital transport systems are also impacted, restricting the movement of critically injured individuals.
The latest attack near the food distribution point is just one of several incidents in recent weeks where aid seekers have been met with violence. The World Health Organization confirmed the mass casualty incident, and noted a disturbing correlation between food distribution locations and gunshot injuries.
The Israeli military stated it was reviewing the incident and acknowledged a crowd had gathered near troops operating in the area. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which manages the food sites, distanced itself from the shootings, emphasising that they occurred away from their direct operations.
However, critics argue that the design of the new aid system, seen by some as an Israeli attempt to bypass the UN and control aid flows, has contributed to chaos and deadly desperation. Verified footage and eyewitness reports from multiple incidents suggest a repeated pattern of Israeli forces firing on civilians attempting to access aid.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk accused Israel of weaponising food and called for a full investigation into the shootings. Philippe Lazzarini of UNRWA reiterated that Gaza's tragedies continue unabated amid dwindling global attention.
The broader backdrop remains Israel's ongoing military campaign, reignited on 18 March 2025 after a ceasefire broke down. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, 55,959 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023. The most recent offensive has resulted in 5,647 deaths and 19,201 injuries in just three months.
MSF asserts that the consistent denial of adequate aid and the systematic targeting of infrastructure are indicative of a broader strategy.
'MSF teams are witnessing patterns consistent with genocide in Gaza,' the organisation declared, citing mass killings and the dismantling of conditions essential for Palestinian life.
As violence and restrictions continue, the situation in Gaza grows increasingly unsustainable, with humanitarian agencies warning of total collapse without immediate and consistent international intervention.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
9 hours ago
- Straits Times
Indonesia readies island medical facility for 2,000 wounded Gazans
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A man carries a wounded Palestinian as people walk past the rubble of houses and buildings destroyed during the war on Jan 20. JAKARTA - Indonesia will convert a medical facility on its currently uninhabited island of Galang to treat about 2,000 wounded residents of Gaza, who will return home after recovery, a presidential spokesperson said on Aug 7. Muslim-majority Indonesia has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israel started an offensive in October 2023 that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, whether fighters or non-combatants. 'Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris,' the spokesperson, Mr Hasan Nasbi, told reporters, adding that the exercise was not an evacuation. Indonesia plans to allocate the facility on Galang island, off its island of Sumatra and south of Singapore, to treat wounded Gaza residents and temporarily shelter their families, he said, adding that nobody lived around it now. The patients would be taken back to Gaza after they had healed, he said. Mr Hasan did not give a timeframe or further details, referring questions to Indonesia's foreign and defence ministries, which did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The plan comes months after President Prabowo Subianto's offer to shelter wounded Palestinians drew criticism from Indonesia's top clerics for seeming too close to US President Donald Trump's suggestion of permanently moving Palestinians out of Gaza. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Some ageing condos in Singapore struggle with failing infrastructure, inadequate sinking funds Singapore Wastewater overflow in Bedok and Chai Chee due to choked sewer at BTO worksite: PUB Singapore Teen's love of dance powers her through cancer to perform at NDP2025 Singapore Jail for driver who drove over leg of special needs woman in accident on church driveway Asia Kpods, zombie oil or etomidate? A new name may help Hong Kong curb its youth drug crisis Singapore Man handed three vaping-related charges including importing more than 3,000 pods Business DBS shares hit record high after Q2 profit beats forecast on strong wealth fees, trading income World Trump's 100% semiconductor tariffs may hit chipmakers in Singapore, other SEA nations In response to Mr Trump's suggestion, the foreign ministry of Indonesia, which backs a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis, said at the time it 'strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians'. A hospital to treat victims of the Covid-19 pandemic opened in 2020 on Galang, which had been until 1996 a sprawling refugee camp run by the United Nations, housing 250,000 of those who fled the Vietnam War. REUTERS
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Indonesia readies island medical facility for 2,000 wounded Gazans, World News
JAKARTA — Indonesia will convert a medical facility on its currently uninhabited island of Galang to treat about 2,000 wounded residents of Gaza, who will return home after recovery, a presidential spokesperson said on Thursday (Aug 7). Muslim-majority Indonesia has sent humanitarian aid to Gaza after Israel started an offensive in October 2023 that Gaza health officials say has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, whether fighters or non-combatants. "Indonesia will give medical help for about 2,000 Gaza residents who became victims of war, those who are wounded, buried under debris," the spokesperson, Hasan Nasbi, told reporters, adding that the exercise was not an evacuation. Indonesia plans to allocate the facility on Galang island, off its island of Sumatra and south of Singapore, to treat wounded Gaza residents and temporarily shelter their families, he said, adding that nobody lived around it now. The patients would be taken back to Gaza after they had healed, he said. Hasan did not give a timeframe or further details, referring questions to Indonesia's foreign and defence ministries, which did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. The plan comes months after President Prabowo Subianto's offer to shelter wounded Palestinians drew criticism from Indonesia's top clerics for seeming too close to US President Donald Trump's suggestion of permanently moving Palestinians out of Gaza. In response to Trump's suggestion, the foreign ministry of Indonesia, which backs a two-state solution to resolve the Middle East crisis, said at the time it "strongly rejects any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians". A hospital to treat victims of the Covid-19 pandemic opened in 2020 on Galang, which had been until 1996 a sprawling refugee camp run by the United Nations, housing 250,000 of those who fled the Vietnam War. [[nid:721012]]
AsiaOne
2 days ago
- AsiaOne
More Gazans die seeking aid and from hunger; burial shrouds in short supply, Asia News
CAIRO/GAZA — At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Gaza on Monday (Aug 4), including 10 seeking aid, health authorities said, adding another five had died of starvation in what humanitarian agencies say may be an unfolding famine. The 10 died in two separate incidents near aid sites belonging to the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in central and southern Gaza, local medics said. The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed trying to receive aid in the enclave since the GHF began operating in May 2025, most of them shot by Israeli forces operating near GHF sites. The GHF said there were no incidents at or near their sites on Monday. Reuters was unable to verify where the incidents took place. Bilal Thari, 40, was among mourners at Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital on Monday who had gathered to collect the bodies of Palestinians killed a day earlier by Israeli fire as they sought aid, Gaza health officials said. "Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back (on a wooden stretcher) as a martyr, or injured. No one comes back safe," Thari said. At least 13 Palestinians were killed on Sunday while waiting for the arrival of UN aid trucks at the Zikim crossing on the Israeli border with the northern Gaza Strip, the officials said. At the hospital, some bodies were wrapped in thick patterned blankets because white shrouds, which hold special significance in Islamic burials, were in short supply due to continued Israeli border restrictions and the mounting number of daily deaths, Palestinians said. "We don't want war, we want peace, we want this misery to end. We are out on the streets, we all are hungry, we are all in bad shape, women are out there on the streets, we have nothing available for us to live a normal life like all human beings, there's no life," Thari said. There was no immediate comment by Israel on Sunday's incident. The Israeli military said in a statement to Reuters that it had not fired earlier on Monday in the vicinity of the aid distribution centre in the southern Gaza Strip. It did not elaborate further. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps for more aid to reach its population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, allowing airdrops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he would convene his security cabinet this week to discuss how the military should proceed in Gaza to meet all his government's war goals, which include defeating Hamas and releasing the hostages. Deaths from hunger Meanwhile, five more people died of starvation or malnutrition over the last 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said on Monday. The new deaths raised the toll of those dying from hunger to 180, including 93 children, since the war began. UN agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and quickly ease access to it. Cogat, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said that during the last week, over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 1,200 trucks had entered Gaza but that hundreds of the trucks had yet to be driven to aid distribution hubs by UN and other international organisations. Israel's military later said 120 aid packages containing food had been dropped into Gaza "over the past few hours" by six different countries in collaboration with Cogat. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said on Sunday that more than 600 aid trucks had arrived since Israel eased restrictions in late July. However, witnesses and Hamas sources said many of those trucks have been looted by desperate displaced people and armed gangs. Palestinian and UN officials said Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks to enter per day to meet the humanitarian requirements — the number Israel used to allow into Gaza before the war. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offencive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials who do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. [[nid:720926]]
