Palestinians reportedly killed and injured near Gaza aid site
Palestinians are reported to have been killed and wounded in another shooting as they gathered near an aid distribution site in central Gaza.According to Palestinian journalists, those killed were fired on by Israeli troops. Information on Saturday's incident is scarce as the internet has been down in Gaza for more than two days. There has been no comment from the IDF as yet. In previous incidents, the Israeli military said troops opened fire when suspects approached them in what they deemed a threatening manner.Many of those waiting to pick up aid may not know that the distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - backed by Israel and the US - are closed until Sunday.
The organisation posts updates on its Facebook page, which only those with e-sim cards on their phones are able to access, because of the internet blackout. This has only added to the confusion that has increasingly surrounded the delivery of aid in Gaza, with each day seeing incidents in which people are shot at by Israeli troops or local gunmen. Aid supplies and the internet are vital for people in Gaza - the current lack of both lifelines is rendering their plight even more desperate. Large numbers of Palestinians appear to be staying near the aid distribution sites - one in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza and three others further south - so that they will be ready to get hold of food parcels when and if they are opened. There is also increasing concern being expressed by aid groups and medics that Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza may lose its ability to provide essential treatment for those with injuries from shootings near distribution points in Rafah. Reports on Friday morning said that nearly all its healthcare workers had left, leaving just a handful of doctors. This follows the expansion of evacuation orders from the IDF for the surrounding area. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that if Nasser Hospital can no longer function, it would mean that there would be no place for the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah to refer patients for specialised care, including blood transfusions. One of the doctors who has recently been working at Nasser Hospital, Dr Feroze Sidwa, has called for international support to keep it going."If international law has any remaining relevance, Nasser must be protected and resupplied, and its staff must be protected immediately," Dr Sidwa said. Dr Victoria Rose, who was working at Nasser hospital in May, issued an even more urgent warning: "This is the only hospital in the south of Gaza. Nowhere else has ITU beds, a CT scanner, oxygen generating capability, haemodialysis or a blood bank. "Hundreds of patients will instantly die and all surgery will now have to take place in tents."It has been 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.At least 55,207 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
At least eight killed near Gaza aid sites as Palestinians fear global attention switching to Iran
At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday in shooting near food distribution points in Gaza, as residents described an escalation of Israeli attacks happening against the backdrop of the new war with Iran. Although Israel has said that Gaza is now a secondary theatre of operations to Iran, Palestinians reported continuing serious violence including fire around US and Israel supported aid distributions points and there are fears that global attention is moving on from Gaza. 'There were wounded, dead, and martyrs,' Ahmed al-Masri told the Associated Press on Sunday as he returned empty-handed from one of the sites. 'It's a trap.' Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood at about 4.30am. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival. The latest killings of Palestinians near the aid distributions managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took place as Tom Fletcher, the UN's under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, warned about the foundation's operations. He said: 'Hunger must never be met with bullets. Humanitarians must be allowed to do their work. Life-saving aid must reach people in need, in line with humanitarian principles.' 'Without immediate and massively scaled-up access to the basic means survival, we risk a descent into famine, further chaos and the loss of more lives,' he said. There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on the crowds and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces. In the latest incident Palestinians said Israeli forces opened fire at about dawn towards crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in Rafah. The attacks in Gaza are taking place as concern mounts that the territory is being forgotten. Thirty-two-year-old Mahmoud Abu Haloub, who has been displaced six times during the war, told the Guardian that the situation in Gaza had worsened since the outbreak of hostilities with Iran last week. He said: 'The number of aid trucks has decreased, and there is now greater danger for those who go to receive aid. The Israeli army has become more deadly than before, launching shells and bombs that kill many, without anyone talking about these massacres.' Mohammed Zuhair, from the Beit Lahiya area, said: 'The world's shift of attention toward what is happening with Iran is a disaster for the people of Gaza, especially amid the current famine. 'The focus on the Palestinian cause has diminished, and the world has forgotten about us. Our issue has been pushed to the margins while we live through a suffocating crisis under Israeli aggression, blockade, and a lack of food and medicine.' Maryam Al-Shafie, a 65-year-old widow and mother of a family of 12, said: 'Yesterday, my grandson went to the aid trucks but came back with nothing. It was his first time, and we won't let him go again after the massacre took place, and many were killed. 'Since the events between Iran and Israel began, it has been a catastrophe for us. The situation has become even more unbearable. We expected the pressure on Gaza to ease, but it only worsened. No one talks about it – all the news is about what's happening in Iran.' Experts and aid workers say Israel's blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine. The shooting happened hundreds of metres away from the sites, which are operated by the GHF, a group that Israel and the US hope will replace the UN-run system of aid distribution. The UN has rejected the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the UN system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May. The GHF said there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on the designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Several people killed by Israeli fire near aid distribution points in Gaza
Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 25 Palestinians across Gaza, local health authorities said, with a number of deaths near two aid sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Israeli forces have killed arge numbers of people at food distribution sites, many of them run by GHF, which has come under significant criticism and scrutiny over its operations and a system that forces people to travel through combat zones to reach food
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
8 are killed in the latest shooting near Israeli and US-supported aid sites in Gaza
At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more were wounded on Sunday in the latest shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. Witnesses blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment. The war in Gaza rages more than 20 months after Hamas ' Oct. 7, 2023, attack ignited it. That attack set off a chain of events that helped lead to Israel's surprise attack on Iran on Friday. Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in the southern city of Rafah. Experts and aid workers say Israel's monthslong blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the population of over 2 million. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's capacity to produce food. The shooting happened hundreds of meters (yards) from the sites that are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a group that Israel and the United States hope will replace the U.N.-run system of aid distribution. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds, and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces. 'There were wounded, dead, and martyrs,' Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated Press on Sunday as he returned from one site empty-handed. 'It's a trap.' Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival. 'There were many wounded and martyrs," she said. 'No one was able to evacuate them.' The Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis said it received eight bodies after the shooting. The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the U.N. system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May. Israel and the U.S. say Hamas has siphoned aid from the U.N.-run system, while U.N. officials say there is no evidence of systematic diversion. The U.N. says the new system does not meet Gaza's needs, allows Israel to control who gets aid and risks further mass displacement as people move closer to the sites. Two are in the southernmost city of Rafah — now mostly uninhabited — and all three are in Israeli military zones that are off limits to independent media. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military. Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel as Palestinian 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. Israel's military campaign has killed over 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population, often multiple times. ___ ___
