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Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Health
- Days of Palestine
IOF Kills 20, injure 300 starving people in Northern Gaza
DaysofPal- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed 20 Palestinians and injured 150 others in targeted attacks on aid seekers in al-Sudaniya area of northwest Gaza, according to health officials and eyewitnesses. The shooting took place near a distribution point run by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation GHF. The area, referred to by residents, has become a recurring site of chaos and death as desperate civilians risk their lives to receive basic supplies. Eyewitnesses described the incident as a massacre, saying: 'They opened gunfire on people in a completely frenzied manner.' Medical sources confirmed that the majority of injuries were caused by live ammunition, with many victims shot in the head and chest. The Israeli military claimed that troops fired only warning shots after some individuals allegedly crossed into a designated combat zone. However, UN officials and humanitarian observers strongly dispute this account, calling the repeated violence at aid sites part of a dangerous and dehumanizing pattern. Since the GHF system was launched in late May, over 1,050 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 5,000 injured while attempting to access food and medical supplies at GHF-run distribution centers across the Gaza Strip. Rights organizations have described the GHF model as a 'kill zone,' accusing Israel of using starvation and aid as tools of warfare. International criticism of Israeli atrocities at the aid distribution points continues to mount as UN agencies, humanitarian groups, and foreign governments have demanded an immediate overhaul of the aid delivery mechanism, warning that civilians are being systematically endangered. The growing death toll has intensified calls for an independent investigation into what many see as war crimes. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, has warned that such models of aid distribution are creating 'dystopian and deadly environments' and has urged an urgent return to safe, neutral aid corridors. The Gaza Strip remains under total blockade and heavy bombardment for the 658th consecutive day. With widespread famine, collapsed healthcare, and escalating violence at aid sites, humanitarian officials warn that Gaza's crisis is rapidly surpassing even the bleakest projections. Shortlink for this post:
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Gaza Aid site chaos: Crowd surge kills 20 while GHF, UN clash over mounting deaths & security breakdown; details here
Twenty people were killed in a deadly crowd surge at an aid distribution center in southern Gaza, according to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group backed by the US and Israel. The incident occurred at the GHF-run site in Khan Younis and, according to a statement released by the organization, 19 individuals were trampled and one person was stabbed. GHF claims the panic was triggered by "agitators" in the crowd who it alleges were affiliated with Hamas. The group called the incident 'tragic' and described the surge as chaotic and dangerous. Independent verification of this report was not immediately available. Conflicting hospital report adds to the uncertainty Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported a different account. It confirmed receiving the bodies of 10 individuals who, according to them, died due to "suffocation" after the aid site was abruptly closed by private US security contractors working with GHF. The variation in cause of death and casualty numbers highlights the ongoing confusion and tension surrounding aid distribution in Gaza. Pattern of violence at aid centers grows Since GHF began its operations in late May, reports of deaths near its distribution sites have become a near-daily occurrence. Witness accounts suggest that many Palestinians seeking food have been shot by Israeli forces. On Tuesday, the UN human rights office stated that 674 people have been killed near the GHF's four aid sites in southern and central Gaza in just six weeks. Additionally, 201 people have reportedly been killed along routes used by UN and other aid convoys. The UN attributes these figures to its field documentation, while GHF disputes their accuracy. Before the latest incident, GHF had denied any deaths near its facilities and accused the UN of sharing what it called 'false and misleading' numbers sourced from the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Security measures and ethical concerns at the core GHF currently operates in Israeli military-controlled zones and uses private security firms for protection and distribution management. This setup has led to growing criticism. The United Nations has refused to work with GHF, calling its operations unethical due to both its location and operational style. Meanwhile, the Israeli military acknowledged last week that civilians had been harmed near aid areas. It added that efforts are being made to reduce potential 'friction' between troops and civilians during aid activities. With rising deaths and conflicting reports, questions about aid safety, crowd control, and transparency remain urgent and unresolved in Gaza.
Middle East Eye
09-07-2025
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Save the Children halts ties with BCG over Gaza displacement work
Save the Children International has ended its long-running collaboration with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), calling the US consultancy's role in Gaza-related projects 'utterly unacceptable'. In a staff-wide email dated 8 July, CEO Inger Ashing referenced Financial Times reporting that BCG helped launch the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and supported the US security firm providing armed personnel for GHF-run aid sites in Gaza. GHF, a militarised aid programme serving Israeli war objectives, has faced widespread condemnation from humanitarian agencies. The organisation is backed by both the US and Israel. The FT also revealed that BCG developed cost estimates for forcibly relocating large numbers of Palestinians out of Gaza—work Save the Children slammed as unethical and dehumanising. 'The modelling of a plan to forcibly relocate Palestinians from Gaza, and the calculation of a per person cost for displacement, devoid of any humanity, disregards fundamental rights and dignity, and raises serious ethical and legal questions,' Ashing wrote.
Morocco World
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
‘Scenes of Horror': Israel Shoots Down More Palestinians Scrambling for Aid
Rabat – Israeli Occupation Forces have killed at least 73 Palestinians since early Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, including 33 people who were seeking food aid, according to medical sources. Witnesses say they were shot without warning while waiting at aid distribution points managed by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is a common occurrence that has heeded stark warnings by international humanitarian organizations. Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, described 'scenes of horror' as desperate Palestinians gathered at GHF-run aid centers hoping to receive food. 'They waited for hours just hoping to get their hands on basic food supplies, only to be met with sudden and unprovoked gunfire.' Survivors told Al Jazeera that bullets suddenly tore through the crowds, and many ran in panic, trying to find cover. Emergency teams could not reach the area because of the intense shooting, leaving many wounded without help. An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) revealed that some of the security guards protecting GHF distribution sites are US contractors who use live bullets, stun grenades, and pepper spray on Palestinians, even when there is no threat. Two American contractors interviewed by AP said they felt the practices were dangerous and irresponsible. 'Security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished,' read the report. One contractor also said Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are using the aid system to gather information. Each aid site is watched by cameras, and the footage is monitored in real time by both Israeli soldiers and American analysts. Some of these cameras are reportedly equipped with facial recognition technology. Last week, an investigation by Israeli newspaper Haaretz included testimonies from Israeli soldiers who said they were ordered to shoot at unarmed Palestinians waiting for aid. These reports further increase concerns about how humanitarian efforts are being handled in Gaza. Human rights groups and aid organizations have repeatedly warned that the situation in Gaza is becoming worse, with severe shortages of food, water, and medical care. Many families are relying entirely on humanitarian aid to survive, which is far too little and comes too late.
Middle East Eye
03-06-2025
- Health
- Middle East Eye
Israel kills 27 Palestinians in latest mass killing of aid seekers
Israeli forces killed 27 Palestinians on Tuesday as they attempted to reach a US aid distribution site in Rafah, according to the Palestinian health ministry. Crowds had gathered early in the al-Alam area, west of Rafah, seeking basic food supplies from the scandal-plagued Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), amid worsening, famine-like conditions in the Gaza Strip. Israeli artillery and warplanes then targeted civilians, eyewitnesses told Wafa news agency. The killings mark the latest in a string of Israeli attacks on Palestinians seeking aid at newly established GHF-run distribution points. At least 102 Palestinians have been killed and over 490 wounded in similar attacks over the past eight days since the initiative's launch, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters "The so-called 'aid' distribution centres, situated in exposed and perilous red zones controlled by the occupying forces, have become bloodbaths. Starving civilians are lured there due to the crippling famine and tight siege," the office said in a statement. "They are then deliberately and coldly shot, a scene that exposes the true malice of the operation and its real objectives." The office described these actions as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, calling for immediate global action and an investigation into the latest Israeli assaults. "The continuation of these crimes, amid shameful international silence, is a stain on humanity and proves that the occupation continues to perpetrate the most heinous forms of genocide under the world's gaze, without deterrence or accountability," the statement concluded. 'Death trap' Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), on Monday called the new Israeli-US aid initiative a "humiliating system" that has put civilians at risk, with relief distribution becoming a "death trap". Lazzarini indicated that the new scheme requires hunger-stricken Palestinians to walk long - and often dangerous - distances to reach aid centres which are often limited to just three or four areas. "Aid deliveries and distribution must be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including Unrwa. The State of Israel must lift the siege and allow the UN safe and unhindered access to bring in aid and distribute it safely. Israel kills 32 starving Palestinians in latest US aid point 'massacre' Read More » "With competing narratives and disinformation campaigns in full gear, international media must be allowed into Gaza to independently report on the ongoing atrocities including this morning's heinous crime." Since launching operations last Tuesday, GHF has said - without providing evidence - that it handed out tens of thousands of food boxes to Palestinians, a fraction of what aid agencies say is needed to address the mass starvation unfolding in the Strip. The new aid system, which limits food distribution to a small number of hubs guarded by American security contractors, seeks to wrest distribution away from aid groups led by the United Nations. The UN and other major humanitarian organisations have repeatedly criticised the mechanism, with warnings that these actions could constitute crimes against humanity.
