Israel kills more than 30 Palestinians gathering aid, IDF denies the reports
CAIRO/GAZA: More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured on Sunday in south Gaza near a food distribution site, the health ministry said, as witnesses reported Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid and Israel denied it.
The U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said food was handed out without incident on Sunday at the distribution point in Rafah and there were no deaths or injuries.
GHF released undated video to support its statement that showed dozens of people gathering around piles of boxes. Reuters could not independently verify the video or what took place.
Witnesses said the Israeli military opened fire as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive food aid. Israel's military said that an initial inquiry found soldiers had not fired on civilians while they were near or within the distribution site.
The Gaza health ministry said 31 people were killed with a single gunshot wound to the head or chest from Israeli fire as they were gathered in the Al-Alam district aid distribution area in Rafah. It said 169 were injured.
In addition to Israeli gunshots, residents and medics said an Israeli tank had opened fire at thousands of people en route to the Rafah site.
Macron says stance on Israel must 'harden' unless Gaza situation improves
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received 179 casualties, most with gunshot or shrapnel wounds.
'All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site. This is the highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident since the establishment of the field hospital over a year ago,' ICRC said.
The United Nations has said most of Gaza's 2 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid entering the strip.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more. The Israeli military has said GHF had established four sites so far.
The organization's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations which say GHF does not follow humanitarian principles.
There were chaotic scenes as hungry Gazans rushed its sites last last week. Hamas reported deaths and injuries in the tumult, and Israel said its troops fired warning shots.
Because the GHF distribution points are few and all in south Gaza, U.N. officials have said its plans force Palestinians, especially in the north, to relocate and face unsafe conditions.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN's Palestinian relief agency, condemned Sunday's deaths and said in a statement on X that 'aid distribution has become a death trap'.
The government media office accused Israel of using aid as a weapon, 'employed to exploit starving civilians and forcibly gather them at exposed killing zones, which are managed and monitored by the Israeli military'.
At Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city where some casualties were brought, Gaza paramedic Abu Tareq said there was 'a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points.'
Israel 'will not cooperate' with Arab ministers' West Bank visit: official
Israel denies that people in Gaza are starving because of its actions, saying it is facilitating aid deliveries and pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centres and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza.
U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that a lot of people in Gaza were 'starving'.
Israel accuses Hamas of stealing supplies intended for civilians and using them to entrench its hold on Gaza. Hamas denies looting supplies and has executed a number of suspected looters.
Reda Abu Jazar said her brother was killed as he waited to collect food near the Rafah aid distribution centre. 'Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us,' she said, as Palestinian men gathered for funeral prayers.
The Red Crescent reported that 14 Palestinians were injured on Sunday near a separate GHF aid site in central Gaza.
Ceasefire talks falter
Israel and Hamas meanwhile traded blame for the faltering of a new Arab and U.S. mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails.
Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, but Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected the group's response as 'totally unacceptable'.
Egypt and Qatar said in a joint statement that they are continuing efforts to overcome disagreements and reach a ceasefire.
Hamas on Sunday welcomed those efforts and expressed its readiness to start a round of indirect negotiations immediately to reach an agreement, the group said on Sunday in a statement.
Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
19 hours ago
- Business Recorder
US expected to block Gaza ceasefire vote at Security Council
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council will vote Wednesday on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza, a measure expected to fail due to a US veto. It is the 15-member body's first vote on the subject since November, when the United States – a key Israeli ally – also blocked a text calling for an end to fighting. The new resolution, seen by AFP, 'demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties.' It also calls for the 'immediate, dignified and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups.' Underlining a 'catastrophic humanitarian situation' in the Palestinian territory, the resolution additionally demands the lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. US-backed Gaza aid group to halt distribution on Wednesday, UN to vote on ceasefire demand It will be put to vote at 4:00 pm Wednesday (2000 GMT), but several diplomats indicated to AFP that they expected the United States to wield its veto power. They added that the representatives from the 10 elected members of the Council, who will introduce the text, tried in vain to negotiate with the American side. The veto, if applied, would be the first by Washington since US President Donald Trump took office in January. That scrutiny has increased over flailing aid distribution in Gaza, which Israel blocked for more than two months before allowing a small number of UN vehicles to enter in mid-May. The United Nations said that was not enough to meet the humanitarian needs. A US-backed relief effort called the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) has also come under criticism for going against long-standing aid principles by coordinating relief efforts with a military belligerent. Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 16 people in the Gaza Strip, including 12 in a single strike on a tent housing displaced people, the Palestinian territory's civil defense agency told AFP. On Tuesday, 27 people were killed in southern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid site, with the military saying the incident was under investigation. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, on Tuesday urged the Council to act. 'All of us will be judged by history as to how much have we done in order to stop this crime against the Palestinian people,' he said. Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon lambasted the draft text. 'This resolution doesn't advance humanitarian relief. It undermines it. It ignores a working system in favor of political agendas,' he was to tell the council, according to remarks released by his office. 'It ignores the one party still endangering civilians in Gaza: Hamas.'
Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Israel attacks Syrian military installations, weapons
sraeli soldiers stand on the Syrian side of the ceasefire line between Syria and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, as seen from the Golan Heights, December 10, Listen to article At least 95 Palestinians have been killed and 440 injured by Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The war in Gaza is having a devastating effect on pregnant women and nursing mothers, with an estimated 50,000 at serious risk due to shortages of food and essential medicines, according to a hospital in central Gaza, reported Al Jazeera. Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, said rates of miscarriage had increased sixfold since the outbreak of war and had been accompanied by a large rise in premature births, Wafa reported. That had left Gaza's embattled neonatal units overwhelmed, he said. Al-Daqran said Israel's targeting of the healthcare had brought it to the brink of collapse, with far-reaching impacts on patients in Gaza. More than 23 hospitals had been put out of action, with those that remained only partly functioning, as a result of severe shortages of medical supplies and fuel, he said. That meant more than 12,000 cancer patients were left without treatment, resulting in about five deaths a day, while dialysis patients were also dying through a lack of essential treatment. According to Middle East Monitor, 41% of kidney failure patients have died since the beginning of the ongoing Israeli assault, as a result of their inability to receive dialysis treatment due to the destruction of medical facilities and the collapse of essential health services. Aid suspended Meanwhile, the United States- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) suspended aid distribution in the war-torn territory on Wednesday, a day after Israeli forces again opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers near a GHF distribution site, killing at least 27 and injuring more than 100. Read: 27 killed, dozens injured by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site Israel's military also said that approach roads to the aid distribution centres will be 'considered combat zones' on Wednesday, and warned that people in Gaza should heed the GHF announcement to stay away. 'We confirm that travel is prohibited tomorrow on roads leading to the distribution centers…and entry to the distribution centers is strictly forbidden,' an Israeli military spokesperson said. In a post on social media, GHF said the temporary suspension was necessary to allow for 'renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work'. 'Due to the ongoing updates, entry to the distribution centre areas is slowly prohibited! Please do not go to the site and follow general instructions. Operations will resume on Thursday. Please continue to follow updates,' the group said. The temporary suspension of aid comes as more than 100 Palestinian people seeking aid have been reported killed by Israeli forces in the vicinity of GHF distribution centres since the organisation started operating in the enclave on May 27. The killing of people desperately seeking food supplies triggered mounting international outrage with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanding an independent inquiry into the deaths and for 'perpetrators to be held accountable'. 'It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,' Guterres said. 'It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,' Guterres said. The Israeli military has admitted it shot at aid seekers on Tuesday, but claimed that they opened fire when 'suspects' deviated from a stipulated route as a crowd of Palestinians was making its way to the GHF distribution site in Gaza. 'Syrian weapons struck down' Separately, the Israeli military said in a statement it struck weapons belonging to the Syrian regime in southern Syria, in a second attack that Israel launched after claiming that two projectiles were fired from Syria into Golan Heights on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the two projectiles, according to Reuters. Syrian state news agency and security sources reported a series of Israeli strikes, the first major ones in nearly a month, targeting several sites in the Damascus countryside and Quneitra and Daraa. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz had said earlier that he held Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible for the two projectile launches. "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 claimed. אנו רואים בנשיא סוריה כאחראי ישירות לכל איום וירי לעבר מדינת ישראל והתגובה המלאה תגיע בהקדם. לא נאפשר חזרה למציאות של ה-7 באוקטובר. — ישראל כ'ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) June 3, 2025 The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards Israel had not been verified yet and reiterated that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, state news agency SANA reported. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilize the region to achieve their own interests," the Syrian foreign ministry added. 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 Israeli military earlier said that two projectiles crossed from Syria towards Israel and fell in open areas. Several Arab and Palestinian media outlets circulated a claim of responsibility from a little-known group named "Martyr Muhammad Deif Brigades," an apparent reference to Hamas' military leader who was killed in an Israeli strike in 2024. Reuters could not independently verify the statement. Syrian state media earlier reported an Israeli strike in the southern Daraa province, an attack the Syrian foreign ministry later said resulted in "significant human and material losses." 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 Syria's military infrastructure. 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 past of the country's new rulers. Around the same time that Israel reported the projectiles from Syria, the Israeli military said it intercepted a missile from Yemen. Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said they targeted Israel's Jaffa with a ballistic missile. The group says it has been launching attacks against Israel in support of Palestinians during the Israeli war in Gaza. Read: Israel 'without a doubt' committed war crimes in Gaza: Mathew Miller War crimes Moreover, Hamas described recent comments made by US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller on Sky News, where he acknowledged Israeli war crimes as a "significant acknowledgement", Al Jazeera reported. In an interview with the Trump 100 podcast, Matthew Miller, who served as the State Department spokesperson under President Joe Biden, offered an unusually candid assessment of the administration's foreign policy challenges, particularly surrounding Israel's military operations in Gaza. 'It is without a doubt true that Israel has committed war crimes,' Miller said, adding that Israeli soldiers were not being held accountable and that there were ongoing policy disagreements inside the administration over the US-Israel relationship. Miller served from 2023 until the end of Mr Biden's term and was responsible for publicly defending US foreign policy decisions, including during the Israel-Gaza conflict and the war in Ukraine. Speaking after leaving office, Mr Miller disclosed that there were both 'small and big' disagreements over how to manage relations with Israel, especially during the 2024 escalation in Gaza. In a statement to Al Jazeera, Hamas said the remarks 'denounce the Israeli occupation, validate its atrocities, and reveal efforts by the US administration to conceal the reality of this brutal war targeting innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip.' Israel's war on Gaza The total death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has risen to 54,607 killed and 125,341 injured since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian health sources. Israel has killed 4,335 Palestinians and injured 13,300 since breaking a ceasefire in March this year. Israel's atrocities have displaced around 90% of Gaza's estimated two million residents, created a severe hunger crisis, and caused widespread destruction across the territory. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business Recorder
US-backed Gaza aid group to halt distribution on Wednesday, UN to vote on ceasefire demand
CAIRO/OCCUPIED JERUSALEM/UNITED NATIONS: The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not give out any aid on Wednesday as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to 'guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks' near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety. 'Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid,' said a GHF spokesperson. An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them 'combat zones'. The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food aid distribution site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured. The GHF said the incident was 'well beyond' its site. Rescuers say Israeli fire kills at least 27 near Gaza aid point Palestinians who collected food GHF boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for aid. The U.N. Security Council is also set to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has trickled amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on the enclave where famine looms. 'It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food,' UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, adding that the aid distribution model backed by the U.S. and Israel was 'all a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on.' That model is run by the newly created GHF, which started operations in the enclave a week ago and said on Tuesday that it has given out more than seven million meals from three so-called secure distribution sites. GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree urged humanitarians in Gaza: 'Work with us and we will get your aid delivered to those who are depending on it.' US Veto? The U.N. and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and the distribution model militarizes aid. GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get aid to the distribution sites. It is the latest in a string of efforts to get more aid into the enclave, where experts say the entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine. Jordan last year spearheaded humanitarian air drops, while the U.S. briefly installed a floating aid pier, but it was beset by challenges. The U.N. has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. Israel said on Tuesday that three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. The 10 elected members of the U.N. Security Council have 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.' 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 aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the U.N., throughout Gaza. 'The time to act has already passed,' Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told Reuters. 'It is our historical responsibility not to remain silent.' Hamas says ready to 'immediately' hold round of Gaza truce talks As U.S. President Donald Trump's administration tries to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, it was not immediately clear if Washington would veto the draft text. A spokesperson for the U.S. mission to the U.N. said: 'We cannot preview our actions currently under consideration.' A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass. The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, which do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.
