Latest news with #GazaHealthMinistry
Japan Times
7 hours ago
- Health
- Japan Times
Israel denies Gaza ministry claim soldiers killed more than 30 aid seekers
More than 30 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured on Sunday in south Gaza near a food distribution site, the health ministry said, as witnesses reported Israeli soldiers fired on people trying to collect aid and Israel denied it. The U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said food was handed out without incident on Sunday at the distribution point in Rafah and there were no deaths or injuries. GHF released undated video to support its statement that showed dozens of people gathering around piles of boxes. Reporters could not independently verify the video or what took place. Witnesses said the Israeli military opened fire as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive food aid. Israel's military said that an initial inquiry found soldiers had not fired on civilians while they were near or within the distribution site. The Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry said 31 people were killed with a single gunshot wound to the head or chest from Israeli fire as they were gathered in the Al-Alam district aid distribution area in Rafah. It said 169 were injured. In addition to Israeli gunshots, residents and medics said an Israeli tank had opened fire at thousands of people en route to the Rafah site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received 179 casualties, most with gunshot or shrapnel wounds. "All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site. This is the highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident since the establishment of the field hospital over a year ago," ICRC said. The United Nations has said most of Gaza's 2 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid entering the strip. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more. The Israeli military has said GHF had established four sites so far. The organization's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian organizations, which say GHF does not follow humanitarian principles. There were chaotic scenes as hungry Gazans rushed its sites last last week. Hamas reported deaths and injuries in the tumult, and Israel said its troops fired warning shots. Because the GHF distribution points are few and all in south Gaza, U.N. officials have said its plans force Palestinians, especially in the north, to relocate and face unsafe conditions. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the U.N.'s Palestinian relief agency, condemned Sunday's deaths and said in a statement on X that "aid distribution has become a death trap." The Hamas-run Gaza government media office accused Israel of using aid as a weapon, "employed to exploit starving civilians and forcibly gather them at exposed killing zones, which are managed and monitored by the Israeli military." At Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city where some casualties were brought, Gaza paramedic Abu Tareq said there was "a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points." Israel denies that people in Gaza are starving because of its actions, saying it is facilitating aid deliveries and pointing to its endorsement of the new GHF distribution centres and its consent for other aid trucks to enter Gaza. U.S. President Donald Trump said last month that a lot of people in Gaza were "starving." Israel accuses Hamas of stealing supplies intended for civilians and using them to entrench its hold on Gaza. Hamas denies looting supplies and has executed a number of suspected looters. Reda Abu Jazar said her brother was killed as he waited to collect food near the Rafah aid distribution centre. "Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us," she said, as Palestinian men gathered for funeral prayers. The Red Crescent reported that 14 Palestinians were injured on Sunday near a separate GHF aid site in central Gaza. Israel and Hamas meanwhile traded blame for the faltering of a new Arab and U.S. mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli jails. Hamas said on Saturday it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, but Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable." Egypt and Qatar said in a joint statement that they are continuing efforts to overcome disagreements and reach a ceasefire. Hamas on Sunday welcomed those efforts and expressed its readiness to start a round of indirect negotiations immediately to reach an agreement, the group said on Sunday in a statement. Israel began its offensive in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken as hostages into Gaza. Israel's campaign has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 54,000 Palestinians and destroying most buildings. Much of the population now lives in shelters in makeshift camps.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Dozens of Palestinians killed making their way to Gaza aid hub: Report
Dozens of Palestinians were killed Sunday when going to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses said, according to The Associated Press. Crowds were fired upon by Israeli forces close to 1,000 yards from an Israeli-supported aid foundation's site, witnesses said, the AP reported. Thirty-one people died and 170 were injured, the Gaza Health Ministry said, according to the outlet. Israel's army said in a statement it was 'currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site,' according to the AP. A statement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation pushed back on stories of disorder and gunfire near its sites and said that aid was provided by the foundation 'without incident,' the outlet reported. Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the country has caused the mass destruction of infrastructure in the territory, as well as widespread death and injury among the residents of Gaza. The dire situation faced by Gaza's residents has resulted in international pressure on Israel over its treatment of those living in the territory, with figures like the newly-minted Pope Leo XIV calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron saying in a recent statement that they were 'strongly' against 'the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza.' 'The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday's announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate. We call on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza,' the joint statement, posted on the social platform X by Carney on May 19, read. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
17 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
At least 31 Palestinians are killed while heading to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — At least 31 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday as they were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometer (1,000 yards) away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. The army released a brief statement saying it was 'currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review.' The foundation said in a statement that it delivered aid 'without incident' early on Sunday and has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited. The Gaza Health Ministry said 31 people were killed and 170 others were wounded. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation 's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded according to local health officials. The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation said in a statement that it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday 'without incident,' and dismissed what it referred to as 'false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.' Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn. As they headed toward the site, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 kilometer (1,000 yards) away, at around 3 a.m., Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. 'There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,' said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded to the field hospital. 'The scene was horrible,' he said. Most of the casualties were shot 'in the upper part of their bodies, including the head, neck and chest,' said Dr. Marwan al-Hams, a health ministry official at Nasser Hospital, where many of the wounded were transferred after being initially brought to a field hospital run by the Red Cross. He said 24 people were being treated in Nasser Hospital's intensive care unit. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another eyewitness said the military fired from about 300 meters (yards) away. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. 'We weren't able to help him,' he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were heading toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene. Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said. 'They opened heavy fire directly toward us,' he said as he was waiting outside a field hospital run by the Red Cross for word on his wounded relative. An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital at around 6 a.m. and saw dozens of wounded, including women and children. The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point. Some were carrying boxes of aid but most appeared to be coming back empty-handed. Officials at the field hospital said at least 21 people were killed and another 175 were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. The Health Ministry provided the same toll and later updated it. Israel and the United States say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the U.N. denies it has occurred. U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. The U.N. system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month. Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when Hamas stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around 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 over 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90% of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. On Sunday, Israel said its forces killed the commander of a cell it says was behind an attack that killed 21 soldiers in the early months of the war. It was among the deadliest single events for the military in 19 months of fighting, excluding Hamas' initial onslaught. The soldiers were killed when a blast from a rocket-propelled grenade fired by fighters triggered explosives they were laying to blow up buildings.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18 hours ago
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
At Least 31 Palestinians are Killed While Heading to a Gaza Aid Hub
At least 31 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday as they were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials and multiple witnesses. The witnesses said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometer (1,000 yards) away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. The army released a brief statement saying it was 'currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review.' The foundation said in a statement that it delivered aid 'without incident" early on Sunday and has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited. Officials at a nearby field hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 31 people were killed and another 175 people were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department, confirmed the death toll and said two women were among those killed. An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of people being treated at the aid system marred by chaos The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded according to local health officials. The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation said in a statement that it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday 'without incident,' and dismissed what it referred to as 'false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.''The scene was horrible' Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn. As they headed toward the site, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 kilometer (1,000 yards) away, at around 3 a.m., Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. 'There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,' said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded to the field hospital. 'The scene was horrible," he said. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another eyewitness, provided a nearly identical account. He said the military fired from about 300 meters (yards) away. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. 'We weren't able to help him,' he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were heading toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene. Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said. 'They opened heavy fire directly toward us,' he said as he was waiting outside the Red Cross field hospital for word on his wounded relative. The hub is part of a controversial new aid system Israel and the United States say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. The UN system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month. Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when the Hamas-led group stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around 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 over 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90% of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.
The Hill
18 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Dozens of Palestinians killed making their way to Gaza aid hub: Report
Dozens of Palestinians were killed Sunday when going to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses said, according to The Associated Press. Crowds were fired upon by Israeli forces close to 1,000 yards from an Israeli-supported aid foundation's site, witnesses said, the AP reported. Thirty-one people died and 170 were injured, the Gaza Health Ministry said, according to the outlet. Israel's army said in a statement it was 'currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site,' according to the AP. A statement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation pushed back on stories of disorder and gunfire near its sites and said that aid was provided by the foundation 'without incident,' the outlet reported. Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip since the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the country has caused the mass destruction of infrastructure in the territory, as well as widespread death and injury among the residents of Gaza. The dire situation faced by Gaza's residents has resulted in international pressure on Israel over its treatment of those living in the territory, with figures like the newly-minted Pope Leo XIV calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron saying in a recent statement that they were 'strongly' against 'the expansion of Israel's military operations in Gaza.' 'The level of human suffering in Gaza is intolerable. Yesterday's announcement that Israel will allow a basic quantity of food into Gaza is wholly inadequate. We call on the Israeli Government to stop its military operations in Gaza and immediately allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza,' the joint statement, posted on the social platform X by Carney on May 19, read. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
