'We didn't do it,' says Israel on Gaza aid centre fire that killed 31
Israel has denied its role in the firing incident reported on Sunday at a US-backed aid centre in Rafah, Gaza. In a statement issued on social media, the Israeli Defence forces has dismissed the "false and fabricated reports.'
'False reports have been spread In recent hours, including serious allegations against the IDF regarding fire toward Gazan residents in the area of the humanitarian aid distribution site in Gaza. Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false,' reads the statement issued by the IDF.
"It is false and fabricated. All aid was distributed today without incident," read the official statement issued by the GHF, as accessed by the BBC.
"We have heard that these fake reports have been actively fomented by Hamas. They are untrue and fabricated," the US-backed foundation said as it denied any injuries or fatalities.
The incident occurred on Sunday at an aid centre run by the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
As per the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza, at least 31 people were killed after the incident at the aid distribution centre.
Israel, however, stated that armed gunmen opened fire on civilians at the aid centre, distancing itself from the incident.
This is a developing story…
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Tarn Taran man arrested for sharing Army details with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor
Amritsar: Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested a Tarn Taran resident for allegedly sharing sensitive information concerning Army movements during with Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan leader Gopal Singh Chawla reportedly operating under the command of the Inter-Services Intelligence ( ). Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Senior superintendent of police Abhimanyu Rana on Tuesday said that Tarn Taran police, in a joint operation with the counter-intelligence unit, arrested Gagandeep Singh alias Gagan, a resident of Mohalla Rodupur, Gali Nazar Singh Wali, Tarn Taran. Preliminary investigation revealed that Gagandeep worked in Vallaha Mandi and came in contact with Chawla over Facebook, said Rana. When asked whether Gagandeep travelled to Pakistan in the past, he replied that police were investigating. He, however, added that Gagandeep was engaged in sharing classified details, including troop deployments and strategic locations, posing a threat to national security. "Gagandeep Singh in touch with Chawla for the past five years, through whom he was introduced to the Pakistani intelligence operatives (PIOs) and also received payments from PIOs via Indian channels," Rana said. The SSP said that they recovered a mobile phone containing intelligence that he shared with the PIOs as well as the details of over 20 ISI contacts. Rana said that during interrogation, Gagandeep disclosed that he was tasked by ISI handlers to gather sensitive information about deployment in border areas, including railway stations and Amritsar city. He was also receiving monetary benefits for espionage activities. Financial and technical investigations were under way to trace other linkages and establish the full scope of this espionage network, he said, adding that more arrests were likely in the next few days. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A case under Sections 3, 4, 5 and 21 of the Official Secrets Act and Section 152 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered at Tarn Taran City police station. Chawla, a pro-Khalistan Sikh leader from Nankana Sahib and chairman of Punjabi Sikh Sangat, has been consistently vocal in his anti-India rhetoric. He reportedly played a key role in organising anti-India demonstrations and is believed to be tasked by ISI with identifying "soft targets" among Indian Sikh jathas visiting Pakistan on religious occasions. Chawla first came into the spotlight after posting photographs with Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. In 2019, Jalandhar police arrested one Harpal Singh Pala, a resident of Bhatija village, who was in touch with Chawla for allegedly supplying crucial and strategic information to him. MSID:: 121596577 413 |
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Gujarat company to replace all 33 crest gates of Tungabhadra dam
Munirabad (Koppal): Of the four companies that vied for the tender to replace all 33 crest gates of the Tungabhadra reservoir, the Gujarat-based Hardware Tools and Machinery Project Company emerged as the winner. The responsibility for replacing the crest gates was entrusted to this company by the Tungabhadra Board, which set a deadline of 15 months for the work to be finished. The bidding process included Gujarat's Anar Company, Hardware Tools and Machinery Project Company, along with Telangana's Swapna Projects Pvt Ltd and Bekem Infra Projects Private Limited. Following a thorough evaluation of technical bids and documentation by the board committee, Hardware Tools and Machinery Project Company bagged the tender. According to Basavaraj L, superintendent engineer of KNNL at the Tungabhadra Project Circle in Munirabad, the tender for the replacement of crest gate 19, which was washed away on Aug 10, 2024, was finalised with the Hardware Tools and Machinery Project Company. Additionally, the tender for the remaining 32 crest gates was also awarded to this company. The project is scheduled for completion by the end of June 2026. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Neuvěřitelné: Kalkulačka okamžitě ukáže hodnotu vašeho domu [podívejte se na to]! tržní hodnota mého domu Kliknout zde Undo The comprehensive project encompasses all 33 crest gates. The 19th gate replacement costs Rs. 1.6 crore, while the remaining 32 gates had an allocated budget of Rs. 52 crore. The company secured the contract with a competitive bid of Rs. 41.4 crore through the e-tender process, significantly under the allocated budget, sources said. A technical assessment led by former Central Water Commission chairman AK Bajaj's committee evaluated the dam's condition and provided safety recommendations. National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) president Anil Jain's subsequent inspection emphasised maintaining reduced water levels during non-destructive testing. Hyderabad-based KSNDT Services conducted comprehensive testing on all gates, including ultrasonic and dye penetration tests, presenting their findings on March 25. Their report indicated a 40-50% reduction in gate thickness from original specifications, necessitating complete replacement. Based on these findings, the Tungabhadra Board opted to replace all gates. The TB Board declared that, while a complete replacement cannot be achieved this year, maintaining water levels 12 to 15 feet above the spill level will provide an adequate supply for single crop cultivation and drinking purposes. Consequently, it was decided to cap water storage at 80 tmc, compared to the reservoir's total capacity of 101 tmc at a height of 1,626 feet.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
27 heading to aid site killed by Israeli forces, say Gaza officials
Israeli forces fired on people as they headed toward an aid distribution site in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 27, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said, in the third such shooting in three days. The army said it fired 'near a few individual suspects' who left the designated route, approached its forces and ignored warning shots. The near-daily shootings have occurred after an Israeli and US-backed foundation established aid distribution points inside Israeli military zones, a system it says is designed to circumvent Hamas. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it doesn't address Gaza's mounting hunger crisis and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. The Israeli military said it 'fired to drive away suspects." In a statement, army spokesperson Effie Defrin said "the numbers of casualties published by Hamas were exaggerated' but that the incident was being investigated. He said the army is not preventing Palestinians in Gaza from reaching aid in the distribution areas, but rather allowing it. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates the sites, says there has been no violence in or around them. On Tuesday, it acknowledged that the Israeli military was investigating whether civilians were wounded 'after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone,' in an area that was 'well beyond our secure distribution site.' A spokesperson for the group said it was 'saddened to learn that a number of civilians were injured and killed after moving beyond the designated safe corridor." Gaza's roughly 2 million people are almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza in March, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. Witnesses have said the shootings all occurred at the Flag Roundabout, around a kilometer (half-mile) from one of the GHF's distribution sites in the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah. The entire area is an Israeli military zone where journalists have no access outside of army-approved embeds. Yasser Abu Lubda, a 50-year-old displaced person from Rafah, said the shooting started around 4 a.m. Tuesday and he saw several people killed or wounded. Neima al-Aaraj, a woman from Khan Younis, said the Israeli fire was 'indiscriminate." She added that when she managed to reach the distribution site, there was no aid left. 'After the martyrs and wounded, I won't return,' she said. 'Either way we will die.' Rasha al-Nahal, another witness, said that 'there was gunfire from all directions.' She said she counted more than a dozen dead and several wounded along the road. When she reached the distribution site, she found there was no aid left, she said. She gathered pasta from the ground and salvaged rice from a bag that had been dropped and trampled upon. 'We'd rather die than deal with this," she said. "Death is more dignified than what's happening to us.' At least 27 people were killed early Tuesday, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Hisham Mhanna, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, confirmed the toll, saying its field hospital in Rafah received 184 wounded people, 19 of them declared dead on arrival, with eight others later dying of their wounds. The dead were transferred to Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis. Three children and two women were among the dead, according to Mohammed Saqr, head of nursing at the hospital. Hospital director Atef al-Hout said most of the patients had gunshot wounds. An Associated Press reporter who arrived at the Red Cross field hospital at around 6 a.m. saw wounded people being transferred to other hospitals by ambulance. Outside, people were returning from the aid hub, mostly empty-handed, while empty flour bags stained with blood lay on the ground. Jeremy Laurence, a spokesman for the UN human rights office, told reporters it also had information indicating that 27 people were killed. 'Palestinians have been presented 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,' Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it distributed 21 truckloads of food at the Rafah site on Tuesday, while its other two operational sites were closed. During a ceasefire earlier this year, around 600 aid trucks entered Gaza daily. The Israeli military, meanwhile, said three of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on Israel's forces since it ended a ceasefire with Hamas in March. The military said the soldiers, all in their early 20s, died during combat on Monday, without providing details. Israeli media reported they were killed in an explosion in the Jabaliya area. Israel ended the latest ceasefire after Hamas refused to change the agreement to release more hostages sooner. Israeli strikes have killed thousands of Palestinians since then, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel says the new aid distribution system is designed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. The UN says its own ability to deliver aid across Gaza has been hindered by Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting, but that there's no evidence of systematic diversion of aid by Hamas. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel that ignited the war. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers. Israel says it has killed around 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. Around 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the Oct. 7 attack, including more than 400 during the fighting inside Gaza. Sirens sounded across Israel late Tuesday night. Israel's army said that two rockets were fired from Syria into open areas in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, marking the first time a strike's been launched toward Israel from Syrian territory since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. A group calling itself the Mohammed Deif Brigades claimed the attack in a post on Telegram. Little is known about the group, which first surfaced on social media last month. Israel has been suspicious of the Islamist former insurgents who formed the new Syrian government and has launched hundreds of airstrikes on Syria and seized a UN-patrolled buffer zone on Syrian territory since Assad's fall. Syrian state TV reported Israeli shelling hit the western countryside of Syria's Daraa province after the rocket launch. Israel's defense minister said it holds Syria's president responsible for every threat and firing towards Israel, and that a 'full response' will come as soon as possible.
