At least 12 Palestinians killed waiting for aid in Gaza, say medics
At least 12 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while waiting for aid in central Gaza, according to rescuers and medics.Reports say the group was killed by gunfire near an aid distribution site run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Thursday.The GHF denied there were any incidents near its site. The Israeli military told Reuters that "suspects" had attempted to approach forces in the area of Netzarim, and that soldiers had fired warning shots. It said it was unaware of any injuries.The incident is the latest in almost daily shootings near such aid sites in Gaza.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since late May, when the GHF took over aid distribution in Gaza in an attempt by Israel to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid.Nearly all the casualties in Gaza in recent days have been linked to incidents around the delivery of aid, rather than Israeli strikes on Hamas targets.Gaza's health ministry said on Thursday that since midnight 12 people had been killed while seeking aid, without giving further details.The Hamas-run civil defence agency - Gaza's main emergency service - told AFP news agency that a group was killed by Israeli gunfire near the Netzarim corridor, where thousands of people have been gathering daily seeking aid.Civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said 15 people were killed and 60 injured in the incident. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making it difficult to verify figures.AFP said it had spoken to witness Bassam Abu Shaar, who said thousands of people had gathered overnight at the GHF-backed distribution site, and that Israeli forces opened fire at about 01:00 (22:00 GMT).He said the size of the crowd had made it impossible for people to escape the gunfire, adding: "We couldn't help them or even escape ourselves."
The GHF however told the BBC: "There were no incidents anywhere near our site today.""This is yet again another example of false and misleading reporting by the GHM [Gaza health ministry]."The BBC has contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for a response.According to Reuters, the Israeli military said people had approached its forces in a threatening manner. In a Telegram statement on Wednesday, Hamas called for the UN and its humanitarian agencies to be the sole distributors of aid in Gaza.
The UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the new aid system led by the GHF. The UN says the system contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.They also warn that Gaza's population faces catastrophic levels of hunger after an 11-week total Israeli blockade that was partially eased a month ago.The US and Israel say GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas, which the group denies doing.Separately on Thursday, civil defence teams recovered dozens of bodies from various parts of the Gaza Strip following reports of Israeli shelling.Seven people were reportedly killed when a tent sheltering displaced civilians was hit in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.Eyewitnesses and relatives of the victims told the BBC that those killed were a couple and their five children from the Asaliya family.The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.At least 55,637 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
36 minutes ago
- Reuters
Israeli strikes hit Iranian reactor being built, nearby plant, IAEA says
VIENNA, June 19 (Reuters) - Israeli military strikes hit Iran's Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, a project under construction that had not begun operating, and damaged the nearby plant that makes heavy water, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. Israel has struck several nuclear facilities in Iran. The heavy water reactor as originally designed would have been able to easily produce plutonium that could eventually have been used in a nuclear weapon, though Iran denies seeking such weapons. Under a 2015 deal with major powers, however, the plant was redesigned to reduce the proliferation risk and its core was removed and filled with concrete. Iran had informed the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency the reactor would start operation in 2026. "IAEA has information the Khondab (former Arak) heavy water research reactor, under construction, was hit. It was not operational and contained no nuclear material, so no radiological effects," the IAEA said in a post on X. Heavy water reactors use heavy water, also known as deuterium oxide, as a moderator, a material that slows down fast-moving neutrons released during the nuclear fission process that generates heat in the reactor. In its first posting on the attack, the IAEA said it had no information indicating the nearby plant that produces heavy water had been hit. It later issued a statement revising that assessment. "While damage to the nearby Heavy Water Production Plant was initially not visible, it is now assessed that key buildings at the facility were damaged, including the distillation unit," the IAEA statement said.
Times
40 minutes ago
- Times
Here's how to teach controversial history
'The repeated refusal by Palestinian groups to accept the existence of Israel is a major obstacle to peace,' says a teenager passionately. 'There cannot be a negotiation when one side refuses to accept the other's existence.' Half an hour later, the same boy is arguing with what sounds like equal conviction that 'Israel has to be accountable for its actions. Until then, there will be no peace, just a surrender, and the people of Palestine will never accept surrender disguised as diplomacy.' He is not a boy who doesn't know what he thinks, but a pupil at Lancaster Royal Grammar School (LRGS), speaking in a debate between 13 to 15-year-olds from five schools in England, Scotland and Spain on which side is to blame for the failure of the Middle East peace process. In order that they should learn that the world is more complicated than good-and-evil narratives suggest, and that there is usually something to be said for the other person's point of view, pupils make both sides of each argument. Two teams of pupils take opposite sides in a debate and then swap causes after a break. The debates are organised by Parallel Histories, a charity set up by Mike Davies. When we shared a house at university, I would not have fingered him as a catalyst for social change. He was absurdly good looking and more into rowing than studying. But as a Quaker partly brought up in Belfast, he was interested in questions of peace and conflict. And he did like a good argument. After a successful business career, he became a history teacher at LRGS at 41. He taught feudalism by making a pile of desks, chairs and children to illustrate how uncomfortable it is at the bottom of the social hierarchy, and reconstructed the Battle of Hastings with a horse as a prop. But what he really wanted to teach was the historical roots of modern conflicts. So he organised a trip to Northern Ireland, where pupils met ex-IRA and ex-UVF fighters, and one to Israel/Palestine, where they talked to militants on both sides and played football in a refugee camp. Mike went back to Israel on a Winston Churchill fellowship to find out how history was taught. He realised it was impossible to teach a neutral history. Every event could be seen from both points of view. 'Our voters and future leaders,' he wrote in an article, 'need to understand there are always competing narratives, and to pick apart the propaganda and the facts.' He set up Parallel Histories to make that happen. Mike died last year, but Parallel Histories is flourishing. Now run by a former Labour minister, Bill Rammell, it works with 1,700 schools, training teachers, organising debates and providing materials, such as official documents and eye-witness accounts. Most are in Britain, but nearly 400 are in America. It offers pupils a rare chance to learn about contested subjects such as the Middle East, Northern Ireland and the British Empire. Schools tend to avoid such difficult topics. By providing the materials and the framework, Parallel Histories makes them safe. It has organised debates on the Middle East between Jewish and Muslim schools and about Northern Ireland between Protestant and Catholic schools. Watching that debate this week, I felt something was happening that could help counteract the polarisation pulling people apart. Conflicts become intractable because both sides are convinced their point of view is the only legitimate one. Seeing the argument from the other side is essential to resolving any conflict. That's what Parallel Histories teaches participants to do. So a girl from O Castro, an international school in Spain, argues that Israel cannot make peace with Palestine's corrupt and chaotic leadership — and then, swapping sides, that Israel's illegal settlements mean it is not an honest negotiating partner. Her classmate points to Hamas's electoral victory in 2006 as evidence Palestinians are not interested in peace; then making the opposite argument, he quotes an incendiary comment from Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and asks how the Palestinians can negotiate with people who think like that. The aim is not to change pupils' minds but it sometimes happens. 'Because of my family background,' said Adnan, a pupil at LRGS, when I talked to pupils after the debate, 'I grew up 100 per cent supporting the Palestinians. I still have more sympathy for them, but I can now see where the Israelis are coming from.' Ben's journey took him in the opposite direction. 'I used to think Israel was in the right, but I've come to understand it's very complex. They've both done stuff to each other over the years.' Although it was conceived before social media became the main source of news for young people, the programme helps counter some of its effects. 'It's very easy to get brainwashed on TikTok,' says Lewis, from South Molton Community College in Devon. His classmate Taylor agrees. 'It's all from the Palestinian perspective.' Pupils are encouraged to question sources — essential in an era of fake news. I listened to a detailed argument between pupils from Farlington, an independent school in Sussex, and O Castro about the trustworthiness of each other's material. Pupils learn useful skills too. Debating is tough: you've got to marshal facts, structure an argument and look people in the eye. 'I wasn't that comfortable with public speaking,' says Alex, another Devonian. 'It's really built my confidence.' Some arguments are intense, but they're all polite: participants disagree agreeably. Parallel Histories may not bring about world peace, but teaching teenagers to see things from somebody else's point of view is a good start. Well done, Mike.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Why Iranian strike that damaged Israeli hospital could have big impact on the war
As I approached Soroka Medical Centre in Beersheba, Israel, I could still see the smoke rising in the heart of the city after an Iranian missile strike. At the gates, stunned-looking patients were still emerging. Among them, Jummah Abu Kush, who was inside the building when it was hit. "Suddenly we heard an enormous explosion," he told me. "We knew it was close. All sorts of things fell from the roof. The doctor was injured and others in the room were hit by the debris too. "The building opposite was on fire. It was very dangerous, very worrying and very scary." Shai Nunu, a doctor at the hospital, said he felt a huge force after the warning sound rang out. "The siren stopped and then we heard a huge explosion. We were thrown backwards from the blast," he said. Around the back of the hospital, I saw the roof of one building had collapsed. In another, windows were blown out - bits of metal and plastic hanging precariously from rooms. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said they hit a military site nearby and the Soroka Medical Centre was not a direct target. Despite the extent of the blast, there were only minor injuries reported. But the impact on this war could be great. The Israeli leadership was quick to attend the site. First came President Isaac Herzog, then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir who declared, "We love Donald Trump", as he called for the annihilation of Iran. The Israeli government is framing what happened at the medical centre as a "war crime", vowing Iran would "pay a heavy price" and saying they were in the "process of achieving a tremendous victory". What that victory could look like is very uncertain and Iran shows no sign of backing down. Three days ago, Farabi Hospital in Kermanshah in Iran was also damaged by the shockwaves of a missile strike. The Israel Defence Forces claimed it wasn't a target. Whether intentional or not, healthcare facilities are once again at the centre of the story. The civilian number of fatalities remains far higher in Iran than Israel. More than 600 people have died so far, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists. But an internet blackout has made it very difficult to get images or information out of the country. The last 24 hours have felt like a sea change in rhetoric and potential action. The drumbeat of war is sounding louder, with Israel using the attack on the medical centre to frame the argument for more intense attacks to come. The question is whether America will buy that argument enough to join the fight.
