At least 21 Palestinians killed while heading to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say
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At least 25 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday as they were on their way to receive food in Gaza, according to health officials and multiple witnesses who said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometre away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.
Officials at a nearby field hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 21 people were killed and another 175 people 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. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department, confirmed the death toll and said two women were among those killed.
An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of people being treated at the hospital.
New aid system marred by chaos
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
The army released a brief statement saying it was "currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said in a statement that it delivered aid "without incident" early on Sunday and has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.
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, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.
The foundation said in a statement that it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday "without incident," and dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos."
WATCH | WFP calls for immediate scale-up in food deliveries, distribution in Gaza:
UN calls for immediate increase in Gaza food aid after thousands storm warehouse
3 days ago
Duration 3:11
The UN World Food Program is calling for an immediate scale-up in food deliveries and distribution in Gaza to 'reassure people they will not starve.' The statement came as the agency reported 'hordes of hungry people' broke into one of its warehouses, and at least two people died and several more were injured.
'Fire from all directions,' say witnesses
Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn.
As they headed toward the site, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said.
When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around one kilometre away, at around 3 a.m., 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 the field hospital.
"The scene was horrible," he said. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another eyewitness, provided a nearly identical account.
He said the military fired from about 300 metres away. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene.
"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 another woman as they were heading toward the distribution site.
He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene.
Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said.
"They opened heavy fire directly toward us," he said as he was waiting outside the Red Cross field hospital for word on his wounded relative.
WATCH | Gunfire heard near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution point on May 27:
Controversial U.S. company distributes aid in Gaza amid sounds of gunshots
5 days ago
Duration 1:17
Israeli, U.S.-backed aid delivery under scrutiny
The hub is part of a controversial new aid system Israel and the United States say 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 territory.
The UN system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total 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 two million Palestinians.
Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in.
The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's military campaign has killed over 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 of the territory, displaced around 90 per cent of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.
WATCH | U.S. proposes a 60-day Gaza ceasefire, release of 28 Israeli hostages:
U.S. proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza that includes hostage-prisoner swap
2 days ago
Duration 1:59
The U.S. plan for Gaza, seen by Reuters on Friday, proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages, including some who are deceased, in the first week in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 Palestinians.
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