At least 30 killed as Israeli forces open fire on Gaza civilians waiting for aid
GAZA — At least 30 Palestinians were killed and over 150 others wounded on Sunday when Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Al-Mawasi, west of Rafah in southern Gaza, Anadolu Agency reported.
Eyewitnesses said large crowds assembled early Sunday morning at an aid distribution point operated by the U.S.-backed 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.'
As civilians moved toward the center, Israeli military vehicles allegedly opened fire while drones dropped explosives, resulting in mass casualties.
Medical personnel confirmed that the bodies of at least 30 victims, along with dozens of wounded, were taken to the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis and to the International Committee of the Red Cross field hospital nearby.
In a preliminary statement, the Gaza Health Ministry said 179 people had been brought to local hospitals following the assault.
The toll included 21 confirmed dead, five in a state of clinical death, and 30 in critical condition.
The ministry described the situation as dire, with ambulances struggling to reach victims due to continued gunfire. Some casualties were evacuated using carts.
In a parallel incident, Israeli forces reportedly fired on civilians near another American-operated aid center close to the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza.
At Al-Bureij camp, one person was killed and 20 injured after gunfire targeted a gathering at the entrance to the camp, according to medical sources at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat.
The Government Media Office in Gaza condemned the attacks, accusing Israel of weaponizing humanitarian aid to 'blackmail starving civilians and forcibly gather them in exposed killing zones.'
Sunday's incidents bring the number of Palestinians killed near aid distribution points to at least 39 over the past week, with more than 220 injured, according to a tally by Anadolu based on Palestinian sources.
The American aid initiative under the name 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,' which launched operations about a week ago, has drawn sharp criticism from Palestinian communities and humanitarian organizations.
Many have questioned its legitimacy and accused it of bypassing UN frameworks and established international humanitarian protocols.
Since March 2, Israel has closed all Gaza border crossings, cutting off the flow of food, medicine, and fuel to the enclave's 2.4 million residents.
The blockade comes amid Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, which began in October 2023 and has resulted in nearly 54,400 Palestinian deaths—most of them women and children.
International concern over the crisis has intensified. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
British doctors describe hospitals flooded with casualties from Gaza aid site attacks
LONDON: The remaining hospitals in southern Gaza were overwhelmed with casualties after Israeli soldiers opened fire on crowds trying to access an aid distribution center, British doctors working in the territory said. Scores of Palestinians congregating to reach the food hub in Rafah have been shot dead in recent days. The Red Cross said 27 people were killed and many more wounded on Tuesday when Israeli soldiers opened fire about one km from the aid center run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. On Sunday, at least 31 people were killed as they gathered at the same roundabout before heading to the aid center. Dr. Iain Lennon, an emergency consultant volunteering at Al-Mawasi hospital in southern Gaza, told the BBC that all of the patients who arrived at the facility after the attack were suffering bullet wounds. 'We were woken up in the early hours of the morning by the team in the hospital,' Lennon said. 'One of our partner organizations had declared a mass casualty incident and were overwhelmed, and we were taking patients both directly from the scene and from the other hospitals involved.' 'We've seen probably about 22 patients between 5 and 8 a.m. in the morning, two patients who we've had to take immediately to theater for immediate life saving surgery and a number of other patients with bullet wounds in limbs.' He said the youngest victims were aged 15 or 16, and most of them were men who had walked the long distances to reach the aid hub. 'They were all injured by bullets, as far as we could see,' he added. 'There was no sort of blast or shrapnel injuries, particularly at this event. Lots of people with wounds in, arms and legs, and a couple of people with more sort of central abdominal wounds.' The Israel Defense Forces said its soldiers opened fire when 'several suspects' deviated from the designated route toward the aid site. 'The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,' the military said. Dr. Victoria Rose, a British surgeon, said that on Sunday, 28 bodies and more than 200 people with gunshot injuries arrived at the Nasser hospital where she is working. 'We went into a mass casualty scenario, so all of the theaters stopped operating and just started taking the emergency work from the emergency department,' she said in a video shared by Islamic Help charity. 'It's going to be very hard for us to deal with all of this now because we don't really have the medical supplies or the reserves in the workforce to deal with a mass casualty of this kind.' New aid distribution hubs have been set up after Israel blocked the UN from delivering aid to Gaza and cut off all supplies on March 2. Deliveries resumed late last month but are being managed by the newly created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The UN's human rights chief, Volker Turk, said: 'Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable.' He called for a 'prompt and impartial' investigation into the killings.
Saudi Gazette
9 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Dozens of Palestinians killed near Gaza aid distribution point in third day of shooting
JERUSALEM — Palestinians on their way to receive aid from a distribution site in southern Gaza have come under fire for a third consecutive day, with nearly 30 people killed and dozens wounded, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and Nasser hospital. The ministry said Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians as they made their way to the distribution site in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah early Tuesday. The Israeli military said its forces opened fire multiple times after identifying 'several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes.' 'The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,' the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, which also said they are looking into reports of casualties. At least 27 people were killed and dozens injured, according to the Palestinian health ministry and the director of Nasser hospital in Gaza. Footage obtained by CNN showed people arriving at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, many on Marwan al-Hams, the head of field hospitals in Gaza, said Nasser has been overwhelmed by the number of casualties coming in.'Only if someone dies inside the intensive care units, only then can we make availability for the next patient,' he told CNN. Al-Hams said the injuries he was seeing were primarily the result of gunfire and concentrated in patients' upper hospital called for urgent blood gunfire on Tuesday occurred west of Rafah in the area surrounding the Al-Alam roundabout, according to paramedics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, near the same location as shooting incidents the last two area is part of an Israeli military operation across Khan Younis, according to a diplomat who monitors developments in Gaza, who said Israeli forces fired toward a large group of Palestinians they perceived as 'an imminent threat' as the Palestinians tried to reach the aid distribution Tuesday morning, a Facebook page which the controversial US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has used to publicize information about the opening of distribution sites said one location would be open in southern Gaza and warned residents to adhere to a designated corridor starting at 5 a.m.'The IDF will be in the area to secure the safe passage,' the statement approximately one hour later, the page said the site will be site ultimately opened and distributed 21 truckloads of food boxes, according to GHF. The aid was distributed 'safely and without incident at our site today,' the organization said, adding that the area beyond its security perimeter is 'well beyond our secure distribution site and control.'The incident marks the third day in a row that people have been killed on their way to the GHF distribution point west of Rafah while attempting to secure food as famine conditions worsen in Gaza following an 11-week blockade by Palestinians were shot dead and dozens wounded as they were on their way to access aid from the site on Monday morning, Palestinian and hospital authorities said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Israeli forces fired warning shots approximately a kilometer from the aid distribution site and that it was looking into the details of the Sunday, dozens of Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli military in the same area, according to Palestinian officials and eyewitnesses. Israel's military denied that its troops fired 'within or near' the aid distribution officials said 31 people had been killed and scores wounded in Sunday's incident. An Israeli military source acknowledged that Israeli forces fired toward individuals about one kilometer (1093 yards) away before the aid site United Nations' human rights chief, Volker Turk, said in a statement on Tuesday that 'deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza, are unconscionable... There must be a prompt and impartial investigation into each of these attacks, and those responsible held to account.'Turk added that Palestinians have been given 'the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meager food that is being made available through Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism.' — CNN
Saudi Gazette
18 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
UN calls for investigation into killings near Gaza aid distribution site
NEW YORK — The UN secretary-general has called for an independent investigation into the killing of Palestinians near an aid distribution center in Gaza on Sunday, amid disputed reports that Israeli forces had opened fire. Witnesses reported being shot at while waiting for food from the center in Rafah run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Red Cross said its hospital received 179 casualties, 21 of whom were dead. The Hamas-run Civil Defense agency put the death toll at 31. On Sunday, the Israeli military denied its troops fired at civilians near or within the site and said reports to this effect were false. The GHF said the reports were "outright fabrications" and that it was yet to see evidence of an attack at or near its facility. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory difficult. UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement on Monday: "I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday. "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable." Israel's foreign ministry responded by branding his comments a "disgrace" in a post on X, and criticized him for not mentioning Hamas. The Civil Defense agency said 31 people were killed and 176 wounded "after Israeli gunfire targeted thousands of civilians near the American aid center in Rafah" early on Sunday morning. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a "mass casualty influx" of 179 cases, including women and children, at that time. The majority suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds, and 21 were declared dead upon arrival, it said, adding "all patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said its teams at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis also treated people with serious injuries, some of whom were in a critical condition. It added the patients "reported being shot at from all sides by Israeli drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and soldiers", and that one staff member's brother was "killed while attempting to collect aid from the distribution center". A journalist in Rafah told the BBC a crowd of Palestinians had gathered near al-Alam roundabout in Rafah, close to the GHF's site, when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire. One video posted online on Sunday morning appeared to show Palestinians taking cover in an open area of sandy terrain while what sounds like automatic gunfire rings out. However, the BBC was unable to verify the location because there are not enough features visible. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) put out a statement on Sunday afternoon that said an initial inquiry indicated its troops "did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false". Spokesman Brig Gen Effie Defrin accused Hamas of "spreading rumours" and "trying bluntly and violently to stop the people of Gaza from reaching those distribution centers". The IDF also released drone video it said showed armed men firing at civilians on their way to collect aid, although the BBC was unable to verify where or when it was filmed. Later on Sunday, an Israeli military official briefed reporters that soldiers had acted to "prevent a number of suspects from approaching the forces" approximately 1km from the GHF site, before it opened. "Warning shots were fired," the official said, before insisting there was "no connection between the incident in question and the false allegations against the IDF". The GHF said in a statement on Monday that the reports were "the most egregious in terms of outright fabrications and misinformation fed to the international media community. "There were no injuries, fatalities or incidents during our operations yesterday. Period. We have yet to see any evidence that there was an attack at or near our facility." The US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused major news outlets of "reckless and irresponsible reporting" on the matter. "Drone video and first-hand accounts clearly showed that there were no injuries, no fatalities, no shooting, no chaos," he said on Monday. "The only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of antisemitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States," he added. Meanwhile on Monday, health officials and local media reported that another three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near the same GHF center in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan area. A Red Cross spokesman told the Associated Press that its field hospital in Rafah received 50 wounded people, mostly with gunshot and shrapnel wounds, including two declared dead on arrival, while Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis said it received a third body. The Israeli military said in a statement that "warning shots were fired toward several suspects who advanced toward" troops approximately 1km from the site. The military added it was "aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being thoroughly looked into". Also on Monday, the Civil Defense reported that 14 people, including six children and three women, were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the northern town of Jabalia. More than 20 others were believed to be missing under the rubble of the destroyed building, it said. There was no immediate comment from the IDF, but it said in a statement that its aircraft had struck dozens of targets across Gaza over the past day, including "military structures belonging to terror organisations", underground tunnels, and weapons stores. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on 2 March and resumed its military offensive two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It said the steps were meant to put pressure on the armed group to release the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. On 19 May, the Israeli military launched an expanded offensive that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would see troops "take control of all areas" of Gaza. The following day, he said Israel would also temporarily ease the blockade and allow a "basic" amount of food into Gaza. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. — BBC
