20 Palestinians killed at Gaza aid distribution site, says Israeli-backed aid group
The Gaza Humanitarian Fund accused the Hamas militant group of fomenting unrest in the crowd leading to a 'dangerous surge' though it provided no evidence to support the claim.
Witnesses said GHF guards threw stun grenades and used pepper spray on people pressing to get into the site before it opened, causing a panic in the narrow, fenced-in entrance.
It was the first time GHF has confirmed deaths at one of its food hubs.
But since the sites began operating in late May, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in shootings by Israeli soldiers while on roads heading to the sites, according to witnesses and health officials. GHF's four sites are all in military-controlled zones, and the Israeli military has said its troops have only fired warning shots to control crowds.
Gaza's more than 2 million Palestinians are living through a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and many are teetering on the edge of famine, according to food security experts.
GHF said it believed that 19 of the dead died from trampling at its food distribution center between the southern cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah and one was killed by a stabbing in the crowd.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 17 people suffocated at the site and three others were shot. It was not clear if the shootings took place during the crush or earlier on the road to the center. The witnesses did not report shots fired at the center but said Israeli troops fired on the crowds as they headed to the location.
Witnesses said that thousands of Palestinians arrived at the site early in the morning, and the Americans contractors guarding it did not open the gates. It was not clear if it was before the site's opening time or if it was not operating at all, since schedules often change.
The crowd surged forward at the turnstiles in the fenced-in entranceway, said one survivor, Ahmed Abu Amra.
'The Americans were calling out on the loudspeakers, 'Go back, go back.' But no one could turn around because it was so crowded,' he said. 'Everyone was on top of each other. We tried to pull out the people who were underneath, but we couldn't. The Americans were throwing stun grenades at us.'
Other witnesses said the contractors used pepper spray as well. The Health Ministry said tear gas was used, but GHF denied that and said its contractors deployed 'limited use of pepper spray.' It said they fired no shots at the crowd.
'Everyone suffocated from people crushing on top of each other,' said Omar al-Najjar, a Rafah resident, as he and other men carried an injured man on a stretcher. He said the chaos at the sites is forcing Palestinians to 'march towards death.'
GHF said it believed elements in the crowd 'armed and affiliated with Hamas' fomented the unrest. It said that its contractors identified men with firearms in the crowd and confiscated one.
Distribution at the GHF sites has often been chaotic. Boxes of food are left stacked on the ground inside the center and, once opened, crowds charge in to grab whatever they can, according to witnesses and videos released by GHF itself.
In videos obtained recently by The Associated Press from an American contractor working with GHF, contractors are seen using tear gas and stun grenades to keep crowds back behind metal fences or to force them to disperse. Gunshots can also be heard.
The United Nations human rights office said Tuesday that 875 Palestinians were killed while seeking food since May. Of those, 674 were killed while en route to GHF food sites. The rest were reportedly killed while waiting for aid trucks entering Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 22 people in Gaza City, including 11 children and three women, and 19 others in Khan Yunis. The Israeli military said it has struck more than 120 targets in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip, including Hamas military infrastructure of tunnels and weapons storage facilities.
Israel blames Hamas for the civilian deaths because the group often operates in residential areas.
Also on Wednesday, the Israeli military announced the opening of a new corridor — the fourth — that bisects Khan Yunis, where Israeli troops have seized land in what they said is a pressure tactic against Hamas. In the past, these narrow strips of land have been a serious hurdle during ceasefire negotiations, as Israel has said it wants to maintain military presence in them.
Negotiations in the Qatari capital between Israel and Hamas are at a standstill, after 21 months of war, which began with the militants' cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023. That day, militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251 people, most of whom have since been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Fifty hostages are still being held, less than half of them believed to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which has said women and children make up more than half of the dead. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its tally.
The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government but is led by medical professionals. The United Nations and other international organizations consider its figures to be the most reliable count of war casualties.
Lidman, Shurafa and Frankel write for the Associated Press. Shurafa reported from Deir Al Balah, Gaza Strip and Frankel reported from Ramallah, West Bank.
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Newsweek
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- Newsweek
Barack Obama Has Eye-Opening Take On Parenting Girls vs Boys—He's Right
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National Geographic
an hour ago
- National Geographic
How magnesium affects your sleep and anxiety
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A 2017 systematic review concluded that about half the studies looking at magnesium and anxiety found a positive effect, but the studies were poor quality. A slightly larger trial similarly found improvements in anxiety and stress symptoms, and a 2020 systematic review found benefits for mild depression symptoms and anxiety. But the benefits didn't show up in studies specifically in people with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, both of which typically require management by a physician. (How to lower stress in just five minutes.) More recently, a 2024 systematic review found that five out of seven studies showed improvements in anxiety reported by the participants. However, dosages and formulations varied in the studies, and some formulations included other active ingredients that could have interfered with the results. Together, the evidence suggests magnesium may help with short-term or mild anxiety, but those with more persistent or severe anxiety are unlikely to find the relief they need. 'For anyone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or severe functional impairment,' such as 'anxiety so severe that they're having trouble leaving their house or engaging with their family or friends or going to work, I wouldn't necessarily start off with magnesium,' Brown says. 'At that point, you definitely want to make sure you're working with a mental health professional therapist or psychiatrist.' Can magnesium help you sleep? While evidence for magnesium's benefits for mild anxiety seem encouraging, its benefits for sleep remain unproven. Brown mentioned that insomnia that's caused primarily by mild anxiety might improve with magnesium, but that doesn't mean magnesium can help with insomnia more broadly. 'The evidence is weak,' says Muhammad A. 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Other medications that may interact with magnesium supplements include certain antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors, diuretics, and medications used to treat osteoporosis. Although the kidneys will eliminate excess magnesium consumed through food, high doses from supplements can carry risks, so the Institute of Medicine recommends taking no more than 350 mg of magnesium supplements per day (separate from quantities consumed through food). 'Whatever supplements you take,' Brown says, 'your doctor should always be aware because they can interact with certain medications.' Editor's note: This story was originally published on April 11, 2023. It has been updated with new research.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
'Keeps me up at night': Advocates fear fallout as an LGBTQ+ suicide lifeline ends
This article discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at At The GenderCool Project, an advocacy group that supports transgender and nonbinary children, organizers work with young people who are thriving and excited about their future. But that pride doesn't happen in a vacuum, said Chase Glenn, the project's executive director. 'It takes support," he said. 'Especially when the world feels unsafe.' Now, Glenn and other LGBTQ+ community advocates say a critical layer of support is being stripped away. Specialized services for LGBTQ+ youth through the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline are facing shutdown July 17 as part of federal budget cuts that include an overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The LGBTQ+-focused 988 lifeline program, which marked its third anniversary July 16, has served an estimated 1.5 million young people since its inception, according to the Trevor Project. 'Cutting specialized suicide hotline services for LGBTQ youth sends a devastating message to these youth, especially at a time when they're already up against nonstop political attacks and misinformation,' Glenn said. He isn't alone in sounding alarms over the move. Jaymes Black, CEO of the Trevor Project, called the program's termination 'unfathomable.' 'This administration has made a dangerous decision to play politics with real young people's lives,' Black said. The Trevor Project, one of seven federally funded contact centers that have partnered with the lifeline to offer LGBTQ+-focused support, has handled about half of the line's overall calls. Since April, when the proposed cuts were first revealed, the program has served about 70,000 LGBTQ+ youth per month. That's compared to between 45,000 and 51,000 children monthly during the same time frame in 2024. The HHS restructuring consolidates 28 divisions into 15, including a newly created Administration for a Healthy America to implement secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s 'Make America Healthy Again' agenda. Asked about the termination of the program, the department told USA TODAY the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 'made a critical decision that sustained the entire 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline' by using remaining fiscal year funds 'to support all individuals.' The 988 hotline will continue to operate as 'a direct connection to immediate support for all Americans, regardless of their circumstances,' the department said. In a statement issued about the program's termination, SAMHSA, a division of HHS, said the lifeline would no longer silo "LGB+" youth services, omitting transgender people in its description, and instead "focus on serving all help seekers." 'Mental health equivalent of 911' The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is operated by nonprofit organization Vibrant Emotional Health through a SAMHSA grant. The hotline originally launched in 2005, offering immediate support to people experiencing suicidal crisis. It's 'the mental health equivalent of 911,' Mark Henson, the Trevor Project's vice president for federal advocacy and government affairs, said. The subnetwork serving LGBTQ+ young people launched as a pilot program in 2022, joining other subnetworks serving veterans and Spanish speakers with specialized mental health care. Veterans can press 1, for instance, while Spanish speakers can press 2. For LGBTQ+ youth, pressing 3 puts them in touch with a counselor well-versed in issues that disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ youth, including stigma, family estrangement and potential homelessness. 'That enables our counselors to more quickly bond with the caller to understand, without having to have an explanation, some of the things that they're going through and create that respect and trust in order to help them through that day,' said Henson. Research shows LGBTQ+ young people are more than four times as likely to attempt suicide than their peers. About four in 10 LGBTQ+ youth seriously consider suicide every year, according to the Trevor Project's 2024 annual survey; meanwhile, 90% of LGBTQ+ youth said increasing political rhetoric targeting the community had negatively affected their mental health. 'It's not that LGBTQ youth are inherently more likely to consider suicide,' said Cheryl Greene, senior director of Welcoming Schools, an anti-bullying program run by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. 'It's the external factors, like discrimination and lack of support.' Henson said that those factors underscore why the pilot program for LGBTQ+ youth was added as a 988 subnetwork in the first place. President Donald Trump has targeted diversity and identity efforts since taking office earlier this year, dismantling federal programs through executive order and pressuring contractors to end "illegal DEI discrimination," which prompted some corporations to follow suit. In critical moments, 'every minute counts' Henson said in addition to the 988 hotline's LGBTQ+ services, the cutbacks also include $25 million in annual funding provided to the Trevor Project for hotline support, which the agency told USA TODAY enabled it to double its number of youth served last year. While the Trevor Project's own 24/7 crisis services will continue, 'our ability to support youth will be cut in half just as demand is rising,' he said. 'What happens to those other folks who need those services? It's a question that keeps me up at night.' LGBTQ+ youth won't be left without any place to go. With the 'press 3' option no longer available, calls will instead be handled generically, routed to state-level counselors, though they won't be guaranteed to have the same expertise, Henson said. Given the surging volume of LGBTQ+ calls, the move also risks overwhelming the available number of state counselors, which he fears could lead to increased wait times. 'In suicide prevention, every minute counts,' he said. Zach Eisenstein, communications director for the Trevor Project, said wait times vary from day to day and hour to hour. A study by Northwestern University researchers published last year in the National Library of Medicine found that as of December 2022, the average wait time for all methods of contact — calls, texts or chats — was 44 seconds. As the 988 changes set in, advocates also pointed to the Trump administration's heightened focus on the community and the hundreds of legislative proposals introduced yearly aimed at LGBTQ+ rights. "Many of these youth don't have affirming families, and schools are struggling to affirm them. It just seems cruel, compounding everything right now, to take away this lifeline,' said Greene, of the Welcoming Schools program. Black, of the Trevor Project, agreed. 'Despite our political differences, we should all agree that every young person's life is worth saving,' he said. 'I am heartbroken that this administration has decided to say, loudly and clearly, that some young people's lives are not.'
