'Massacre' kills 51 Palestinians waiting for food at controversial aid point
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Eye witnesses describe a 'massacre' after 51 people were killed inside Gaza as they were waiting to get food via a controversial new distribution network system
More than 50 Palestinians were killed in Gaza this morning as Israelis opened fire near a food aid distribution point.
Eye witnesses described it as 'a massacre'. The attack in the city of Khan Younis left at least 200 others wounded - 21 are in hospital in a critical condition. It's the latest in a series of incidents as Palestinians try to get food via a controversial new distribution system by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
It happened as aid seekers gathered at points leading to a recently established point for the GHF. Witnesses said they had gone to collect food but were met with live ammunition and drone attacks without warning.
Survivor Saeed Abu Liba, 38, said: 'Tens of thousands of hungry civilians gathered for the aid. Two Israeli shells were dropped in the middle of the crowd. Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed, and no one could help or save lives.'
Yousef Nofal said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fire. He said: 'It was a massacre' claiming soldiers continued firing on people as they fled from the area.
Mohammed Abu Qeshfa said he heard a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. He said: "I survived by a miracle."
The dead and wounded were taken to the city's Nasser Hospital, which confirmed the toll. Samaher Meqdad was at the hospital looking for her two brothers and a nephew who had been in the crowd. "We don't want flour. We don't want food. We don't want anything," she said. "Why did they fire at the young people? Why? Aren't we human beings?"
The Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said: 'Israeli drones fired at the citizens. 'Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded.'
Dr Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at Nasser hospital, said nearly 700 casualties had been treated in hospitals. The doctor described the situation as a 'mass casualty' incident that occurred when 'tanks attacked the people who were waiting for food and humanitarian aid' Dr Saqer said: "Most of the cases are in serious conditions due to the tanks' missiles and now the situation at Nasser medical complex is out of control.
"We can't deal with such a high number of cases, so we asked the hospitals around Khan Younis city to support us and send ambulances to transfer cases to those hospitals. Until now, we are suffering a lot due to lack of medical supplies and instruments in addition to the lack of medical and nursing staff.
"We are trying to control the situation but now we can't do anything more because the situation is really horrible and out of our control."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
6 hours ago
- NBC News
Israeli forces kill dozens of Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza, health officials say
While the Israeli military designates specific routes during certain hours to access the sites, much of the area surrounding the facilities is considered a combat zone outside of those times. And while GHF has warned Palestinians to avoid trying to access the sites outside of operating hours, many across the enclave feel they have no choice but to walk for hours overnight and into the morning to reach distribution areas early enough to secure a portion of the limited aid available. Many still come away hungry after failing to reach the sites early enough. After ending the blockade, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that only "basic aid" would be allowed into Gaza. He did not elaborate. Humanitarian groups have warned that in a population of around 2.1 million, the aid distributed so far is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have condemned the new distribution program, saying it has put Palestinian lives at risk while also undermining a long-standing aid framework in the enclave. Before the war began, around 500 trucks carrying aid and goods were entering the enclave daily, according to the British Red Cross and other humanitarian groups. Since then, the flow of aid has been inconsistent, grinding to a halt under Israel's blockade. Israel launched its offensive after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 55,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in the Gaza Strip, according to the local Health Ministry, with much of the enclave destroyed.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'Massacre' kills 51 Palestinians waiting for food at controversial aid point
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES: Eye witnesses describe a 'massacre' after 51 people were killed inside Gaza as they were waiting to get food via a controversial new distribution network system More than 50 Palestinians were killed in Gaza this morning as Israelis opened fire near a food aid distribution point. Eye witnesses described it as 'a massacre'. The attack in the city of Khan Younis left at least 200 others wounded - 21 are in hospital in a critical condition. It's the latest in a series of incidents as Palestinians try to get food via a controversial new distribution system by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation It happened as aid seekers gathered at points leading to a recently established point for the GHF. Witnesses said they had gone to collect food but were met with live ammunition and drone attacks without warning. Survivor Saeed Abu Liba, 38, said: 'Tens of thousands of hungry civilians gathered for the aid. Two Israeli shells were dropped in the middle of the crowd. Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed, and no one could help or save lives.' Yousef Nofal said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fire. He said: 'It was a massacre' claiming soldiers continued firing on people as they fled from the area. Mohammed Abu Qeshfa said he heard a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. He said: "I survived by a miracle." The dead and wounded were taken to the city's Nasser Hospital, which confirmed the toll. Samaher Meqdad was at the hospital looking for her two brothers and a nephew who had been in the crowd. "We don't want flour. We don't want food. We don't want anything," she said. "Why did they fire at the young people? Why? Aren't we human beings?" The Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said: 'Israeli drones fired at the citizens. 'Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded.' Dr Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at Nasser hospital, said nearly 700 casualties had been treated in hospitals. The doctor described the situation as a 'mass casualty' incident that occurred when 'tanks attacked the people who were waiting for food and humanitarian aid' Dr Saqer said: "Most of the cases are in serious conditions due to the tanks' missiles and now the situation at Nasser medical complex is out of control. "We can't deal with such a high number of cases, so we asked the hospitals around Khan Younis city to support us and send ambulances to transfer cases to those hospitals. Until now, we are suffering a lot due to lack of medical supplies and instruments in addition to the lack of medical and nursing staff. "We are trying to control the situation but now we can't do anything more because the situation is really horrible and out of our control."
Leader Live
10 hours ago
- Leader Live
Dozens of Palestinians killed while waiting for food trucks in Gaza
Palestinian witnesses told The Associated Press that Israeli forces carried out an air strike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd in the southern city of Khan Younis. It did not appear to be related to a new Israeli and US-supported aid delivery network that rolled out last month and has been marred by controversy and violence. Yousef Nofal, an eyewitness, said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fire. 'It was a massacre,' he said, adding that the soldiers continued firing on people as they fled from the area. Mohammed Abu Qeshfa said he heard a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. 'I survived by a miracle,' he said. Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points run by a separate US and Israeli-backed aid group since the centres opened last month. Local health officials say scores have been killed and hundreds wounded. In those instances, the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots at people it said had approached its forces in a suspicious manner. Israel says the new system is designed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid to fund its militant activities. UN agencies and major aid groups deny there is any major diversion of aid and have rejected the new system, saying it cannot meet the mounting needs in Gaza and that it violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who has access to aid. Experts have warned of widespread famine in Gaza. The UN-run network has delivered aid across Gaza throughout the 20-month Israel-Hamas war but has faced major obstacles since Israel loosened a total blockade it had imposed from early March until mid-May. UN officials say Israeli military restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it difficult to deliver the aid that Israel has allowed in. Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's October 7 2023 attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
