Father of six killed 'for piece of bread' at Gaza aid site
Cries of grief echoed across southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital as dozens came to mourn Hossam Wafi, after the father of six was killed while attempting to get supplies to feed his family.
His mother, Nahla Wafi, sobbed uncontrollably over her son, who was among 31 people killed by Israeli fire while trying to reach a food distribution site the previous day, according to the Palestinian territory's civil defence agency.
"He went to get food for his daughters - and came back dead," said Nahla Wafi, who lost two sons and a nephew to Israeli attacks yesterday.
Hossam Wafi had travelled with his brother and nephew to a newly established distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah.
"They were just trying to buy (flour). But the drone came down on them," his mother said, as she tried to comfort four of her granddaughters in the courtyard of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Israel has faced growing condemnation over the humanitarian crisis it has caused in Gaza, where the United Nations has warned the entire population faces the risk of famine.
'Go there and get bombed'
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that its field hospital in Rafah received 179 cases yesterday, including 21 pronounced people who were dead on arrival.
The ICRC reported that all those wounded "said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site", and that "the majority suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds".
Israeli authorities and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US and Israeli-backed outfit that runs the distribution centres, denied any such incident took place.
The Israeli military instead claimed that troops fired "warning shots" at people who approached them 1km away from the Rafah distribution site before dawn.
A witness told AFP thousands of people gathered at the area, known locally as the Al-Alam junction, between 2am and 4am (12am and 1am Irish time) in the hopes of reaching the distribution centre.
At Nasser Hospital, Hossam Wafi's young daughters called out for their father, kissing his body wrapped in a white shroud, before it was taken away.
Outside the hospital, dozens of men stood in silence before the body, praying.
Some cried as the remains were taken away, one of them holding the father's face until he was gently pulled away.
His uncle, Ali Wafi, told AFP he felt angry his nephew was killed while trying to get aid.
"They go there and get bombed - airstrikes, tanks, shelling - all for a piece of bread," he said.
"He went for a bite of bread, not for anything else. What was he supposed to do? He had to feed his little kids. And the result? He's getting buried today," he added.
Militarised aid
The killings in Rafah were one of two deadly incidents reported by Gaza's civil defence agency yesterday around the GHF centres, which the UN has said contravene basic humanitarian principles and appear designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
There have been several other reports of chaotic scenes and warning shots fired in connection with the distribution sites over the past week.
The UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA) published a video of one such distribution site in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor on Thursday.
A large crowd is seen gathered around four long corridors made from metal fences installed in the middle of an arid landscape, corralling men and women into files to receive flour.
The distribution site and its waiting area sit on a flattened piece of land surrounded by massive mounds of soil and sand.
It is manned by English-speaking security guards travelling in armoured vehicles.
Palestinians exiting the distribution area carry cardboard boxes sometimes bearing a "GHF" logo, as well as wooden pallets presumably to be repurposed as fuel or structures for shelter.
In the large crowd gathered outside the gated corridors, some men are seen shoving each other, and one woman complains that her food package was stolen.
Hossam Wafi's uncle Ali said he wished Gaza's people could safely get aid.
"People take the risk (to reach the distribution site), just so they can survive."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Million-plus pilgrims begin hajj under blazing sun
More than a million pilgrims have joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. With temperatures expected to top 40C, robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba - the black cube at the heart of Mecca's Grand Mosque which is Islam's holiest site. State media reported that others had begun arriving in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Mecca's outskirts where they will stay overnight before the hajj's high-point tomorrow - prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon. About 1.4 million pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia ahead of the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means. Authorities have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C. Today, pilgrims will perform the tawaf - walking seven times around the Kaaba, which Muslims pray towards each day. Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour. Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality. Women, in turn, wear loose dresses, also white, exposing just their faces and hands. Pilgrims arriving on buses had begun already trickling into Mina yesterday afternoon, greeted by staff offering them coffee and dates. "I am so happy, it's such an amazing feeling," said Reem al-Shogre, a 35-year-old Saudi performing the pilgrimage for the first time. Artificial intelligence used to manage crowds Following last year's lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection. Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres, thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week. Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds. Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses. This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts. Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery. But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught. Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the "stoning the devil" ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest hajj disaster. Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Aid distribution centres in Gaza closed today after Israel declares access roads 'combat zones'
AID DISTRIBUTION CENTRES in Gaza are closed today after the Israeli army declared the roads leading to them 'combat zones'. Israeli soldiers have fired on crowds multiple times in the areas near centres run by the highly controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it began operating in the Palestinian territory last week. Twenty-seven people were killed in southern Gaza yesterday near one of the centres. The UN and NGOs in Gaza have refused to deal with the GFH, officially a private effort with opaque funding and backing from the US and Israel, saying the project does not align with humanitarian principles and aids Israel's war efforts by weaponising aid. Israel recently eased its blockade of the Palestinian enclave, but the UN has said the entire population remains at risk of famine. The GHF said its 'distribution centres will be closed for renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work' on Wednesday and would resume operations on Thursday. The Israeli army, which confirmed the temporary closure, warned against travelling 'on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones'. Following yesterday's massacre near one of GHF's centres, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres decried the killing of Palestinians seeking food aid as 'unacceptable'. Israeli authorities and the GHF – which uses contracted US security – have denied allegations that the Israeli army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages at GHF sites. The Israeli army said it fired on 'suspects' who were moving towards its troops and that the incident is under investigation. Advertisement This morning, Gaza's civil defence agency said that at least 16 people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. 'At least 12 people were killed, including several children and women, in a strike by an Israeli drone this morning on a tent for displaced persons' near Khan Younis, the agency's spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that four more people had been killed in other strikes. Since Israel violated a ceasefire with Hamas on 18 March, its renewed offensive has killed at least 4,4240 people, taking the overall recorded death toll to 54,510, most of whom were civilians. 'It's a trap' At a hospital in southern Gaza, the family of Reem al-Akhras, who was killed in the shooting at Rafah's Al-Alam roundabout near GHF's facility, were beside themselves with grief. 'She went to bring us some food, and this is what happened to her,' her son Zain Zidan said, his face streaked with tears. Akhras's husband, Mohamed Zidan, said 'every day unarmed people' were being killed. 'This is not humanitarian aid – it's a trap.' UN human rights chief Volker Turk called such attacks against civilians 'unconscionable' and said they 'constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime'. The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile said 'Gazans face an 'unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents'. The UN Security Council will vote today on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza, a measure expected to be vetoed by the United States. With reporting from AFP Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
US-backed Gaza aid group to halt distribution after Israeli soldiers shoot dead 27 people seeking food
latest | Nidal al-Mughrabi, Crispian Balmer and Michelle Nichols ©Reuters Today at 04:11 The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not give out any aid on Wednesday as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed. The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimises confusion or escalation risks" near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety.
