Israeli fire kills 60 in Gaza and many were near aid site, medics say

RTÉ News​

a day ago

Israeli gunfire and airstrikes killed at least 60 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them near an aid site operated by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in the centre of the enclave, local health officials said.
Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds hospitals said at least 25 people were killed and dozens wounded as the approached a food distribution centre near the former Jewish settlement of Netzarim before dawn.
Israel's military, which has been at war with Hamas militants since October 2023, said its forces fired warning shots overnight towards a group of suspects as they posed a threat to troops in the area of the Netzarim Corridor.
"This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured; the details are under review," it said.
Later yesterday, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza said at least 14 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached another GHF site in Rafah.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says five members killed in Hamas attack
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accused militant group Hamas of attacking a bus carrying its staffers to an aid distribution center, saying at least five people were killed and multiple others injured.
The group said in a statement that around 10pm local time "a bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team... were brutally attacked by Hamas."
"We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage," the statement read.
In an email to AFP the group said all the passengers on the bus were Palestinian and all were aid workers. They were en route to GHF's distribution centre in the area west of Khan Younis.
"We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms," the group said in its statement. "These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others."
An officially private effort with opaque funding and backed by Israel, GHF began operations on 26 May after Israel completely cut off supplies into Gaza for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.
The Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near GHF sites.
Israeli authorities and the GHF - which uses contracted US security - denied any such incident took place.
The United Nations and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
The GHF earlier said it was unaware of incidents involving civilians but added that it was working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it was essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions.
"Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions.
"There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment."
GHF said it distributed 2.5 million meals, the largest single-day delivery since it began operations, bringing to more than 16 million the number of meals provided since its operations started in late May.
Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says that since then, 163 Palestinians had been killed and over 1,000 wounded trying to obtain the food boxes.
The United Nations has condemned the killings and has refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards.
Elsewhere in Gaza, its health ministry said at least 11 other people were killed by separate Israeli gunfire and strikes across the coastal enclave.
The war erupted 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on 7 October 2023, Israel's single deadliest day.
Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been "significant progress" in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was "too soon" to raise hopes that a deal would be reached.