More than 20 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site, Hamas-run ministry says
At least 22 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said.The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that it was examining the reports.Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed trying to get food from the GHF sites, opened by Israel after it partially lifted a three-month blockade which the UN said had pushed the Gazan population to the brink of starvation.UN human rights chief Volker Turk said: "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza."
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, he accused Israel of weaponising food and repeated his call for a full investigation into the attacks near the sites. UN agencies have refused to work with the GHF.On several previous occasions the IDF has acknowledged that its troops opened fire near aid sites.The health ministry said 20 were killed on Monday at the GHF centre at al-Alam in the southern city of Rafah, while rescuers reported two killed at a GHF site in the central Netzarim corridor.Many of those killed and injured at al-Alam were taken to Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis, where relatives gathered. Many were buried in the hours after their arrival, in line with Islamic tradition.Ahmed Alfara, a doctor at the hospital, told the Reuters news agency that the distribution system had failed "100%"."No one can get that distribution, that aid, no one can get it," he said. "We have to recognise that [UN humanitarian agency] Unrwa and NGOs must again get that distribution and try to redistribute it for the Palestinian people."He reported that many of the casualties on Monday had suffered gunshot wounds, including to the head.Ahmed Fayad, who attempted to get food from the GHF site on Monday, described the GHF operation as a "trap". "We went there thinking we would get aid to feed our children, but it turned out to be a trap, a killing. I advise everyone: don't go there," he told Reuters.Al-Alam has been the scene of several similar deadly incidents since the new Israeli-backed food distribution system began operating.Before Monday's incident, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said that at least 300 people had been killed and more than 2,600 wounded near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 May.The IDF has contested the death toll and said Hamas had caused much of the violence.Searching for answers about US-backed aid agency in GazaIsrael does not allow international news organisations including the BBC into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory difficult.It has been 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.At least 55,297 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
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North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
At least 34 Palestinians killed in shootings near food distribution centres
The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres run by the private contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early on Monday in an attempt to control the crowds. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions. Gaza's health ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another en route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told the Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at about 4am at the flag roundabout. The roundabout, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The military has designated specific routes to access the food centres, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first. Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it cannot meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2.0 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
At least 37 Palestinians killed in Gaza food site shooting, local authorities say
At least 37 Palestinians were killed on Monday in new shootings in Gaza near food distribution centres run by private US contractors guarded by Israeli troops, local authorities said. Witnesses blamed the shootings on Israeli troops who opened fire early in the morning in an effort to control crowds of hungry Palestinians converging on two aid hubs managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organisation that began operating recently in the devastated Palestinian territory with Israeli and US support. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The death toll on Monday was the highest yet reported in the near-daily shootings since the GHF began operations three weeks ago. Health officials in Gaza said most of today's victims were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah, which has largely been razed by the Israeli military, and close to a second GHF centre in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told the Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at about 4am at the Flag roundabout. The traffic circle, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday its field hospital in Gaza had received 200 cases, marking the highest number received by the facility in one mass casualty incident. On Sunday, the same hospital treated 170 patients, many of whom 'were wounded by gunshots, and who reported that they were trying to access a food distribution site'. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to travel long distances and cross Israeli military-controlled areas in Gaza, often at night, in a desperate and hazardous effort to get food packages from the new centres. The Israeli military has designated specific routes to access the aid hubs, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the scarce food first. Aid officials said GHF and the Israeli military often give conflicting advice about access to the distribution sites, leading thousands to attempt to access aid through zones that are supposedly still off-limits. Israel hopes the GHF will replace the previous comprehensive system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which Israeli officials claim allowed Hamas to steal and sell aid. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of war, have rejected the new system, saying it is unethical, impractical, inadequate and unethical. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Israeli military officials say they fire warning shots at Palestinians among the crowds seeking food or travelling to the new aid hubs who advance toward Israeli forces and ignore warnings to turn away. A tight blockade on all supplies entering Gaza was imposed by Israel throughout March and April, threatening many of the 2.3 million people who live there with 'a critical risk of famine'. Aid distributed so far by GHF has been grossly inadequate, humanitarian officials in the devastated territory said. On Sunday, GHF said it had distributed 36,000 food boxes, totalling more than 2.1m meals. In Geneva, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Israel's near 20-month offensive in Gaza was inflicting 'horrifying, unconscionable suffering' on Palestinians and urged government leaders on Monday to 'wake up' and exert pressure to bring an end to the conflict. 'The facts speak for themselves,' said Türk at the opening of the latest human rights council session. 'Everyone in government needs to wake up to what is happening in Gaza. All those with influence must exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas, to put an end to this unbearable suffering.' The war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas raid into southern Israel in October 2023 in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. Israel's offensive in the aftermath of the Hamas attack has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians and devastated swaths of the territory. Türk has repeatedly spoken out about bloodshed in Gaza and called for the release of more than 50 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and other armed Palestinian militants there. The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva responded by accusing Türk and his office of being 'relentless in making irresponsible and uneducated statements regarding Israel's conduct of hostilities – including reliance on information propagated by terrorist organisations'. It called on Türk to 'condemn Hamas's declared strategy to maximise harm to the population in Gaza'.
BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
More than 20 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site, Hamas-run ministry says
At least 22 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry Israel Defense Forces (IDF) told the BBC that it was examining the of Palestinians have been killed trying to get food from the GHF sites, opened by Israel after it partially lifted a three-month blockade which the UN said had pushed the Gazan population to the brink of human rights chief Volker Turk said: "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza." Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Monday, he accused Israel of weaponising food and repeated his call for a full investigation into the attacks near the sites. UN agencies have refused to work with the several previous occasions the IDF has acknowledged that its troops opened fire near aid health ministry said 20 were killed on Monday at the GHF centre at al-Alam in the southern city of Rafah, while rescuers reported two killed at a GHF site in the central Netzarim of those killed and injured at al-Alam were taken to Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis, where relatives gathered. Many were buried in the hours after their arrival, in line with Islamic Alfara, a doctor at the hospital, told the Reuters news agency that the distribution system had failed "100%"."No one can get that distribution, that aid, no one can get it," he said. "We have to recognise that [UN humanitarian agency] Unrwa and NGOs must again get that distribution and try to redistribute it for the Palestinian people."He reported that many of the casualties on Monday had suffered gunshot wounds, including to the Fayad, who attempted to get food from the GHF site on Monday, described the GHF operation as a "trap". "We went there thinking we would get aid to feed our children, but it turned out to be a trap, a killing. I advise everyone: don't go there," he told has been the scene of several similar deadly incidents since the new Israeli-backed food distribution system began Monday's incident, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said that at least 300 people had been killed and more than 2,600 wounded near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza on 26 IDF has contested the death toll and said Hamas had caused much of the for answers about US-backed aid agency in GazaIsrael does not allow international news organisations including the BBC into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory has been 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 55,297 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.
