Israeli troops shoot Palestinian civilians approaching new aid centers

Axios

2 days ago

Israeli soldiers fired on Palestinian civilians making their way to the humanitarian aid distribution centers in southern Gaza on Tuesday, with the Red Cross saying at least 27 people were declared dead at its nearby field hospital after the shooting.
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed its soldiers opened fire but claimed they shot far fewer than 27 people.
Why it matters: The UN and other aid organizations warned for weeks that exactly these kind of incidents would result from civilians needing to pass through IDF lines to reach the newly established aid centers.
Driving the news: In recent weeks, the U.S. and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) launched a new mechanism aimed at delivering aid to Palestinian civilians without Hamas taking control of or getting credit for it.
The GHF and Israeli officials say hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have already received food, medicine and other supplies at the aid sites.
But this was the second mass casualty event near the aid centers in 48 hours. At least 31 people were reportedly killed on Sunday on their way to a distribution site.
During that incident, Hamas accused IDF soldiers of opening fire on the crowd, while IDF officials claim they have evidence that militants fired at the civilians to prevent them from reaching the aid centers.
The latest: The IDF confirmed its forces opened fire in Tuesday's incident, saying a group of Palestinian civilians had deviated from the designated routes to the aid facility and were approaching IDF soldiers.
"The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops," the IDF said.
A senior IDF official said the commander of the IDF southern command is currently investigating the incident, but the initial findings show the Palestinians who were fired at "got lost" on their way to the aid center and got close to the soldiers by mistake.
"This is a scenario we were concerned about and we have been making big efforts to prevent it," the IDF official said.
The Red Cross said its field hospital received 184 patients, including 19 who were dead on arrival and another eight who died of their injuries. Most suffered gunshot wounds, according to the statement.
The influx "threatened to overwhelm the capacity of staff to respond," the Red Cross aid, adding that "civilians trying to access humanitarian assistance should not have to confront danger."
An Israel Defense Forces official had put the death toll lower on Tuesday, saying there had been at least five killed and several wounded.
What they're saying: The incident added to the growing international backlash around the new aid mechanism, which the UN and other aid groups have refused to work with.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an investigation into both incidents on Sunday and Tuesday and said it was "unacceptable" for people to risk their lives simply to get food.
However, Israeli political and military leaders continue to argue the mechanism is working effectively.
"Hamas is under pressure because we pulled the rug under its feet both economically and regarding its governance in Gaza. The Palestinian public sees it can get aid from people who are not Hamas and is satisfied with it," a senior Israeli official said.
Johnie Moore, GHF's newly appointed executive chairman, said the foundation was "demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most safely efficiently and effectively."