Palestinians fear repeat of Nakba mass displacement during 1948 war
Hospitals and health officials in Gaza say another round of Israeli strikes has killed at least 50 Palestinians. Israel has intensified operations as Palestinians mark 77 years since the Nakba this week. Nakba, which means "catastrophe" in Arabic, refers to the loss of land by the Palestinians in the 1948 war that cleared the path for the creation of Israel. Many in Gaza fear there may be a repeat, given what is happening in the strip.
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Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
US-backed Gaza aid group names evangelical as chairman
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025, in this screengrab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS UNITED NATIONS - The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Tuesday named as its executive chairman an American evangelical Christian leader who has publicly backed President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Palestinian enclave. The appointment of Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Trump's first term in office, came as health officials said at least 27 people died and more than 150 were injured trying to reach a GHF aid site. "GHF is demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most — safely, efficiently, and effectively," Moore said in the foundation statement. "GHF believes that serving the people of Gaza with dignity and compassion must be the top priority." The GHF began operations one week ago under a distribution model criticized by the United Nations as the militarization of aid. The GHF says so far it has given out seven million meals from so-called secure distribution sites. It uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get aid into Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not a neutral operation. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher has said it "makes aid conditional on political and military aims" and uses starvation as "a bargaining chip." The appointment of Moore could fuel U.N. concerns, given his support for the controversial proposal Trump floated in February for the U.S. to take over Gaza and develop it economically. After Trump proposed the idea, Moore posted video of Trump's remarks on X and wrote: "The USA will take full responsibility for future of Gaza, giving everyone hope & a future." 'BAD GUYS' The U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appointment of Moore, who has accused the U.N. of ignoring "bad guys" stealing aid in Gaza. The U.N. has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for impediments getting aid into Gaza and distributing throughout the war zone. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. In a reference to the new GHF-led aid model, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said Israel was "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza. "The @UN & others should clean up their act & work with America," Moore posted on May 26. "Surely, these old U.S. & E.U.-funded humanitarian orgs won't let people starve in exchange for being 'right' when they know what they have done hasn't worked & has, in fact, made a terrible war worse?" The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Moore visited Israel about three months after the 2023 Hamas attack and wrote: "Never have I seen such horror." Just a couple of weeks later, he posted a video titled "Come visit beautiful Gaza," which sought to portray Gaza as a tourist destination if it wasn't for Hamas militants. Trump has said Gaza has the potential to be "The Riviera of the Middle East." The United Nations has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with neighboring Arab states. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Red Cross confirms 27 killed in Gaza after gunfire on aid seekers
GAZA CITY: The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Gaza's Rafah city recorded 27 deaths on Tuesday (Jun 3), matching a toll given by rescuers after Israeli forces opened fire near an aid centre. "Early this morning, the 60-bed Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a mass casualty influx of 184 patients. This includes 19 cases who were declared dead upon arrival and eight more who died due to their wounds shortly after," the ICRC said. The organisation added in a statement that survivors of the early morning incident said they had been "trying to reach an assistance distribution site". Gaza's civil defence agency earlier said 27 people were killed after Israeli troops fired on a crowd near a US-backed aid distribution centre. The Israeli military said some people moving towards the aid centre had left the designated route, prompting "warning fire". "After the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects," a military statement added. Army spokesman Brigadier General Effie Defrin said in a televised statement that the "suspects... were approaching in a way that endangered... the safety of the soldiers". "The incident is being investigated", he added. The ICRC said Tuesday's shooting caused "the highest number of weapon-wounded patients received in a single incident" since the field hospital opened more than a year ago. "The unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents treated at the field hospital is deeply worrying and illustrates the harrowing reality that civilians in Gaza are being forced to endure," it added. A similar shooting incident occurred near the same aid centre on Sunday, when rescuers reported 31 killed by Israeli gunfire and a military source acknowledged "warning shots were fired towards several suspects".
AsiaOne
13 hours ago
- AsiaOne
At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, medics say, World News
CAIRO/JERUSALEM — At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday (June 3), local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid waste to much of the enclave. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. More than 35 patients required immediate intervention, the spokesperson added. The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site". However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution "fabrications" by Hamas. On Tuesday, it said IDF forces had identified "a number of suspects" moving towards them while deviating from the access routes. "The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," it said. Mass evacuations ordered UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Monday he was "appalled" by reports of Palestinians killed and wounded while seeking aid and called for an independent investigation. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders to residents of several districts in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip late on Monday, warning that the army would act forcefully against militants operating in those areas. The military told residents to head west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in the enclave, and that most of its 2.3 million population has become internally displaced. The territory's health ministry said on Tuesday that the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south, endangering the lives of those being treated there. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the Oct 7, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say. [[nid:718648]]
