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Israel targets Hamas in Gaza, rejects UN criticism over aid distribution
Israeli soldiers continued operations against Hamas across the Gaza Strip on Tuesday while brushing off criticism over humanitarian aid distribution methods.
The Israel Defence Forces said troops eliminated multiple terrorists and destroyed weapons depots, ammunition storage facilities, and underground terror infrastructure throughout Gaza over the past 24 hours.
In one incident, forces struck a Hamas operative positioned near a weapons depot, triggering secondary explosions that confirmed the presence of stored munitions. Separately, an Israeli combat team dismantled a Hamas compound containing ambush positions and improvised explosive devices.
Israeli Air Force jets conducted dozens of strikes against terror targets, including military structures, tunnel networks, and terrorist operatives who posed threats to ground forces operating in the area.
Also on Tuesday, Col. Avichai Adraee, the IDF's Arabic-language spokesperson, confirmed that Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian suspects deviating from an established pathway to a humanitarian aid distribution point and approached the soldiers. After initial warning shots failed to deter the individuals, forces fired toward the suspects. Adraee said the incident took place approximately a half-kilometer away from the distribution center.
The IDF on Sunday denied allegations that its troops fired on civilians in Khan Yunis, citing a preliminary probe that found no Israeli gunfire in the area at the time. In response to reports accusing Israel of killing dozens near a US aid site, the military released drone footage showing masked Palestinian gunmen firing at civilians. The IDF said the footage was captured during the alleged incident and reaffirmed that its forces were not responsible for the violence.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called Israel's current aid distribution model "unacceptable" and demanded an immediate independent investigation into civilian casualties. Israel Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein accused the UN of deliberately ignoring Hamas's role in blocking aid distribution.
"The real investigation that needs to be opened is why the U.N. continues to resist any attempt to provide aid directly to the people of Gaza," Marmorstein tweeted. He criticized Guterres for failing to mention Hamas in his statement, noting the terror group's efforts to intercept aid shipments.
The controversy centers around Israel's decision to work with the US-operated Global Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) rather than UN agencies. The GHF, which began operations May 27, operates independently with security provided by American military contractors and remote IDF monitoring. The foundation has distributed over 4.7 million meals to Gaza residents in its first six days of operation. The initiative bypasses Hamas' efforts to seize and resell humanitarian aid.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas's attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 58 remaining hostages, 35 are believed to be dead.
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