New shooting near Gaza aid site kills 24 people, health ministry says
LONDON -- At least 24 people were killed and dozens more injured by Israeli forces as they waited to collect humanitarian aid at a distribution center in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The Israel Defense Forces released a statement acknowledging a shooting around 500 meters from one of the aid sites run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
"Earlier today, during the movement of the crowd on the regulated routes on the way to the distribution complex, about half a kilometer from the complex, IDF forces identified a number of suspects moving towards them while deviating from the access routes," the statement read.
"The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces," it added.
"Reports of casualties are known, details of the incident are under investigation," the IDF said.
The IDF said that it allows GHF "to operate independently to distribute aid to Gaza residents and prevent it from reaching the Hamas terrorist organization."
"IDF forces do not prevent Gaza residents from reaching the aid distribution complexes," it added. "The shooting was carried out about half a kilometer from the distribution complex at individual suspects who approached the forces in a manner that endangered them."
The GHF released a statement on Tuesday morning saying "aid distribution was conducted safely and without incident at our site today."
However, the organization acknowledged that the IDF "is investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone."
MORE: At least 31 killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, health ministry says
"This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area," GHF said. "We recognize the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites."
GHF's aid distribution operation -- which the United Nations and other aid groups have so far refused to take part in, citing concerns that the GHF is not operating independently of Israeli forces -- has been beset by reports of violence.
On Sunday, Gaza's Hamas-run Ministry of Health said dozens of people were shot dead and more than 200 wounded by Israeli fire around a kilometer from an aid distribution site in the south of the strip near the city of Rafah.
The IDF and GHF disputed the account given by the ministry. United Nations UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called for an independent investigation into the incident.
New shooting near Gaza aid site kills 24 people, health ministry says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
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