Israeli-backed aid sites in Gaza close temporarily after deadly shootings
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Also on Wednesday, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and permanent cease-fire in Gaza because it was not linked to the release of hostages.
The resolution before the UN's most powerful body also did not condemn Hamas' deadly attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which ignited the war, or say the militant group must disarm and withdraw from Gaza — two other US demands.
The 14 other members of the 15-nation council voted in favor of the resolution, which described the humanitarian situation in Gaza as 'catastrophic' and called on Israel to lift all restrictions on the delivery of aid to the 2.1 million Palestinians in the territory.
The pause in military operations in Gaza came after days in which dozens of Palestinians trying to reach one of the foundation's sites in the southern Gaza city of Rafah were killed after coming under fire, according to local health workers.
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The circumstances of the episodes remain contested. On Tuesday, the Red Cross and Gaza health officials said that at least 27 people had been killed in the second large-scale deadly shooting in recent days. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said a number of civilians had been injured and killed in an area outside the site but did not provide a number.
According to the Red Cross, 'The majority of cases suffered gunshot wounds. Again, all responsive patients said they were trying to reach an assistance distribution site.'
The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire roughly a third of a mile from the distribution site after they identified 'several suspects moving toward them' and away from the Israeli-designated access route. After they failed to respond to warning shots, troops fired 'near a few individual suspects,' the military said.
Brigadier General Effie Defrin, the Israeli military's chief spokesperson, later suggested that the casualty numbers from the incident were inflated but did not provide an alternate toll. He said the Israeli military was investigating.
On Sunday, more than 20 Palestinians were killed near an aid site, according to Gaza health officials. An Israeli military official said troops had fired 'warning shots' toward Palestinians roughly a kilometer away, although the Israeli military formally denied shooting civilians 'near or within' the site.
But the deadly episodes have further ensnarled the Israeli-backed aid effort, which has come under severe international criticism.
Hamish Falconer, a British Foreign Office minister responsible for the Middle East, called for an 'immediate and independent investigation' into the mass casualty events and criticized the new aid system. 'Israel's newly introduced measures for aid delivery are inhumane, foster desperation, and endanger civilians,' he said in Parliament.
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Hunger has become widespread in Gaza after an 80-day Israeli blockade on food, fuel, medicine, and other supplies. The Israeli government began relaxing those restrictions last month and allowed some aid to enter the enclave, much of which has been destroyed during the war.
Israel has said that the new aid distribution system, with sites in areas secured by Israeli troops and overseen mainly by US contractors, would prevent the supplies from falling into the hands of Hamas. The United Nations, however, says there is no evidence that Hamas systematically diverted international aid under the previous UN-coordinated distribution framework.
The UN and other aid groups have boycotted the initiative and have warned that it could endanger Palestinian civilians by forcing them to travel on foot through a war zone and past Israeli lines.
The rollout of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been chaotic. Its executive director resigned hours before the initiative was set to begin operations, and Palestinians pushed through fences at one of the sites last week, prompting Israeli troops to fire warning shots.
Huge crowds of hungry Palestinians have been arriving early each morning at the aid sites, often walking for miles in the predawn darkness. Palestinian witnesses have described a violent scramble for whatever boxes of food are available.
The foundation has pushed back against much of the criticism, arguing that Hamas is trying to undermine the initiative. In a statement Tuesday, the foundation said more than 100,000 boxes of food had been allocated at the sites.
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