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Leader Live
an hour ago
- Health
- Leader Live
At least 34 Palestinians killed in shootings near food distribution centres
The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres run by the private contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early on Monday in an attempt to control the crowds. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions. Gaza's health ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another en route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told the Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at about 4am at the flag roundabout. The roundabout, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The military has designated specific routes to access the food centres, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first. Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it cannot meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2.0 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gaza health ministry says 34 Palestinians killed in shootings near food distribution centres
At least 34 Palestinians have been shot dead near food distribution centres in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry. It said 33 people were killed trying to reach a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) centre near Rafah, while another person died heading to an aid hub in the central Gaza Strip. Israeli troops had opened fire as they attempted to control the crowds early on Monday close to the Rafah site, two witnesses said. The number of deaths in shootings was the highest reported daily total since the and US-backed aid centres opened in May, as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to get to them. Latest updates: The ministry added on Monday that four other people who were not trying to reach distribution centres were killed elsewhere. It claims hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more injured since the GHF centres opened. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has not commented on the latest incident, but previously said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions near GHF sites. Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd of thousands near the Rafah aid site, said Israeli troops started firing at around 4am. Ms Jouda said: "Fire was coming from everywhere... It's getting worse day by day." The International Committee of the Red Cross added in a statement that its field hospital had received around 200 injured people on Monday - the highest mass casualty event it has seen. Speaking on Sunday, a GHF spokesperson said that "none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours". They added the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving "during prohibited times... or trying to take a short cut," and said it was trying to improve safety measures. Read more: It comes as Foreign Secretary David Lammy called on Israel to "show restraint" in its strikes on Iran, and warned military action will not end Tehran's nuclear capabilities. "Fundamentally, no military action can put an end to capabilities," he told MPs, adding that the government's message to Israel and Iran is: "Step back, show restraint, don't get pulled ever deeper into a catastrophic conflict whose consequences nobody can control."
Hamilton Spectator
7 hours ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
34 killed in deadliest day of shootings near Gaza's new food distribution centers, authorities say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops opened fire Monday as crowds tried to reach Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in Gaza, witnesses said. The 34 people killed, according to health officials, made it the deadliest day of such shootings since the new aid system launched last month. The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on Monday's shootings. But after some previous ones that have been a near-daily occurrence since the aid centers opened three weeks ago, it said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions, though it didn't say whether those shots struck anyone. Palestinians say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation . The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed Monday trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centers were killed elsewhere. Palestinians are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2 1/2 months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of aid. Witnesses describe crowds under fire Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. 'It's getting worse day by day,' she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed . The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. A new aid distribution system Israel and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the U.N.-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. U.N. agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system . They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a 'sterile' enclave in the southern Gaza. Speaking at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were 'specious and cynical,' and were intended 'to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.' 'This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,' Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF centers. Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of famine . Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 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. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ This story was corrected to reflect that authorities said 34 people, not 38, were killed near the food centers. Follow AP's war coverage at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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North Wales Chronicle
7 hours ago
- Health
- North Wales Chronicle
At least 34 Palestinians killed in shootings near food distribution centres
The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres run by the private contractor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early on Monday in an attempt to control the crowds. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions. Gaza's health ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another en route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told the Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at about 4am at the flag roundabout. The roundabout, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The military has designated specific routes to access the food centres, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first. Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it cannot meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2.0 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
France 24
10 hours ago
- Health
- France 24
At least 34 Palestinians killed in new shootings near Gaza food distribution centres
At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings on the roads leading to Israeli- and US-supported food distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said. As on previous days, witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire in an attempt to control crowds. The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centres. The ministry says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centres, run by the private contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, opened three weeks ago. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. Gaza's health ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another en route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians gathered around 4am at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food centre, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. "It's getting worse day by day," she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 wounded Monday, the highest single mass casualty event, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF centre. The health ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of metres (yards) from the GHF centre, has been a repeated scene of shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the centre. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the centre or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told the Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours'. It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut'. It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it can't meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
