Four killed by Israeli fire near aid point, witnesses say
At least four people were killed and several others were injured by Israeli fire around a kilometre from an aid distribution point in Gaza, local health officials and witnesses have said.
The bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, which confirmed the toll.
The Israeli military claimed it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces early this morning.
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout in the nearby city of Rafah as they went to get food from a site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced towards its forces and ignored warnings to turn away.
The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food.
Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials.
Israel's military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, near individuals approaching its forces.
Witnesses said this morning's shooting occurred at around 6am, when they were told the site would open.
Many had headed towards it early to try and get desperately needed food before the crowds.
Adham Dahman, 30, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank had fired at them.
"We didn't know how to escape," he said. "This is trap for us, not aid."
Zahed Ben Hassan, another witness, said someone next to him was shot in the head.
He said he and others pulled the body from the scene and managed to flee to the hospital.
"They said it was a safe area from 6am until 6pm," he said.
"So why did they start shooting at us? There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us."
The hubs are set up inside zones Israel has designated as military zones - where independent media have no access - and are run by GHF, a new group of mainly US contractors.
Israel wants it to replace a system co-ordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups.
No aid distributed by US-backed foundation yesterday
It comes after the GHF confirmed it did not distribute any food aid yesterday, accusing Hamas of making threats that "made it impossible" to operate in the enclave, which Hamas denied.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private US security and logistics firms to operate, said it was adapting operations to overcome the unspecified threats. It later said in a Facebook post that two sites would reopen today.
A Hamas official said he had no knowledge of such "alleged threats".
The Gaza government media office said later that the GHF operation has "utterly failed on all levels" and that Hamas was ready to help secure aid deliveries by a separate long-running UN-led humanitarian operation.
Hamas also called on all Palestinians to protect humanitarian convoys.
Israel and the US have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the UN-led operations, which Hamas denies.
A Hamas source said the group's armed wing would deploy some snipers from near routes used by the UN-led aid operation to prevent armed gangs looting food shipments.
The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel allowed limited UN-led operations to resume on 19 May after an 11-week blockade in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where experts have warned a famine looms. The UN has described the aid allowed into Gaza as "drop in the ocean".
Israel and the US are urging the UN to work through the GHF, but the UN has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarizing aid and forcing displacement.
The GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 May and said so far it has distributed nearly nine million meals.
While the GHF has said there have been no incidents at its so-called secure distribution sites, Palestinians seeking aid have described disorder and access routes to the sites have been beset by chaos and deadly violence.
Hospital fuel low in Gaza
Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive across Gaza as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.
Medics in Gaza said 55 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave yesterday.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Gaza's hospitals only had fuel for three more days and that Israel was denying access for international relief agencies to areas where fuel storages designated for hospitals are located.
There was no immediate response from the Israeli military or COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had uncovered "an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center from which senior Hamas commanders" operated beneath the European Hospital compound in southern Gaza.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the 7 October 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day.
Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
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Four killed by Israeli fire near aid point, Palestinians say
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At least four people were killed and several others were injured by Israeli fire around a kilometre from an aid distribution point in Gaza, local health officials and witnesses have said. The bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza's southern city of Khan Younis, which confirmed the toll. The Israeli military claimed it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces early this morning. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout in the nearby city of Rafah as they went to get food from a site run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced towards its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel's military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, near individuals approaching its forces. Witnesses said this morning's shooting occurred at around 6am, when they were told the site would open. Many had headed towards it early to try and get desperately needed food before the crowds. Adham Dahman, 30, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank had fired at them. "We didn't know how to escape," he said. "This is trap for us, not aid." Zahed Ben Hassan, another witness, said someone next to him was shot in the head. He said he and others pulled the body from the scene and managed to flee to the hospital. "They said it was a safe area from 6am until 6pm," he said. "So why did they start shooting at us? There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us." The hubs are set up inside zones Israel has designated as military zones - where independent media have no access - and are run by GHF, a new group of mainly US contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system co-ordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups. No aid distributed by US-backed foundation yesterday It comes after the GHF confirmed it did not distribute any food aid yesterday, accusing Hamas of making threats that "made it impossible" to operate in the enclave, which Hamas denied. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which uses private US security and logistics firms to operate, said it was adapting operations to overcome the unspecified threats. It later said in a Facebook post that two sites would reopen today. A Hamas official said he had no knowledge of such "alleged threats". The Gaza government media office said later that the GHF operation has "utterly failed on all levels" and that Hamas was ready to help secure aid deliveries by a separate long-running UN-led humanitarian operation. Hamas also called on all Palestinians to protect humanitarian convoys. Israel and the US have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the UN-led operations, which Hamas denies. A Hamas source said the group's armed wing would deploy some snipers from near routes used by the UN-led aid operation to prevent armed gangs looting food shipments. The UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israel allowed limited UN-led operations to resume on 19 May after an 11-week blockade in the enclave of 2.3 million people, where experts have warned a famine looms. The UN has described the aid allowed into Gaza as "drop in the ocean". Israel and the US are urging the UN to work through the GHF, but the UN has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarizing aid and forcing displacement. The GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 May and said so far it has distributed nearly nine million meals. While the GHF has said there have been no incidents at its so-called secure distribution sites, Palestinians seeking aid have described disorder and access routes to the sites have been beset by chaos and deadly violence. Hospital fuel low in Gaza Israel has in recent weeks expanded its offensive across Gaza as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered. Medics in Gaza said 55 people were killed in Israeli strikes across the enclave yesterday. The Palestinian Health Ministry said that Gaza's hospitals only had fuel for three more days and that Israel was denying access for international relief agencies to areas where fuel storages designated for hospitals are located. There was no immediate response from the Israeli military or COGAT, the Israeli defence agency that coordinates humanitarian matters with the Palestinians. Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it had uncovered "an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center from which senior Hamas commanders" operated beneath the European Hospital compound in southern Gaza. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the 7 October 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
