Dozens of Palestinians killed heading to aid hub, officials say
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here At least 31 people have been killed and more than 150 have been wounded while on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip , according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds on Sunday about a kilometre from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. The army in a brief statement said it was "currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the humanitarian aid distribution site. The matter is still under review." Thick smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) The foundation — promoted by Israel and the US — said in a statement it delivered aid "without incident" early on Sunday. It has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited. Gaza's Health Ministry said 31 people were killed and 170 others were wounded. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's aid distribution has been marred by chaos in its first week of operations, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near its delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials. The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds. Israel's military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation said in a statement it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday "without incident" and dismissed what it described as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos". Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organisation approved by Israel in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site in southern Gaza hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, about one kilometre away, about 3am (10am AEST), Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. "There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded to a field hospital. "The scene was horrible," he said. Palestinians run following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) Most people were shot "in the upper part of their bodies, including the head, neck and chest", said Dr Marwan al-Hams, a health ministry official at Nasser Hospital, where many of the wounded were transferred after being brought to the field hospital run by the Red Cross. He said 24 people were being treated in Nasser Hospital's intensive care unit. A colleague, surgeon Khaled al-Ser, later said 150 wounded people had arrived, along with 28 bodies. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another witness, said the military fired from about 300 meters (yards) away. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said died at the scene. Israeli army vehicle pass by a new sign pointing towards Gaza reading "To release Omri Miron go straight" near Kibbutz Nahal Oz in southern Israel, where Miron was kidnapped from on October 7, on Sunday, June 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) "We weren't able to help him," he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and a woman as they headed toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and his brother-in-law was among the wounded. "They opened heavy fire directly toward us," he said. An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital about 6am (1pm AEST) and saw dozens of wounded, including women and children. The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point. Some carried boxes of aid but most appeared to be empty-handed. Officials at the field hospital said at least 21 people were killed and another 175 were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Gaza's Health Ministry provided the same toll and later updated it. Israel and the US say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the coastal territory. "It's essentially engineered scarcity", Jonathan Whittall, interim head in Gaza of the UN humanitarian office, said last week. The UN system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its nearly three-month blockade of the territory last month. Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90 per cent of the population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. The latest efforts at ceasefire talks appeared to stumble Saturday when Hamas said it had sought amendments to a US ceasefire proposal that Israel had approved, and the US envoy called that "unacceptable". Also on Sunday, Israel said its forces killed the commander of a militant cell it says was behind an attack that killed 21 soldiers in the war's early months. It was among the deadliest single events for the military in nearly 20 months of fighting, excluding Hamas' initial onslaught. A blast from a rocket-propelled grenade fired by militants triggered explosives the soldiers were laying to blow up buildings. Israel Hamas Conflict
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The Advertiser
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Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
UN head calls for probe over Gaza Strip food aid deaths
It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. 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The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. 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 north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. 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 north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. 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 north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
