Latest news with #IsraeliFire
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Newshour Doctor describes 'total carnage' as 27 reported killed by Israeli fire at Gaza aid centre
Health officials in Gaza say at least 27 people have been killed near one of the controversial new aid distribution centres - the third reported incident in three days. The Israeli military says they fired 'warning shots'; medics say they are dealing with a range of injuries. Also on the programme: the mother of a political prisoner still being held in an Egyptian prison eight months after his sentence ended tells us why she's on hunger strike in protest; and South Koreans have been choosing their next president after former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment over his failed martial law bid. (Photo: A mourner reacts during the funeral of Palestinians killed, in what the Gaza health ministry say was Israeli fire near a distribution site in Rafah, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 3, 2025. Credit: Reuters)
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, UN demands investigation
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer, Reuters A Palestinian youth who was injured by Israeli fire near a US-backed aid centre in the Rafah area, receives treatment at the Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on 3 June 2025. Photo: AFP At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in southern Gaza, health officials said, in a third day running of chaos and bloodshed to blight the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near the distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths, on Tuesday local time, came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in Gaza might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. An injured Palestinian sits in an ambulance after receiving first aid. Photo: AFP The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's 2.3 million population, most of whom have been forced to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The Foundation's operation, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has been fiercely criticised by the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it had distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and stressed that the reported violence had not happened within its site. "This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and control. We recognize the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites." Palestinians who collected food boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for provisions. "It is complete chaos and humiliation, and people have no choice but to keep coming because there is no food in Gaza," said one Palestinian, who declined to be named, adding he was lucky to have survived the shootings. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution "fabrications" by Hamas. The military issued new evacuation orders for several districts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza late on Monday, telling residents to move west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area and warning that the army would act forcefully against militants in those areas. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in Gaza. The territory's health ministry said the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the 7 October, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say. Meanwhile, recent efforts to secure a ceasefire appear to have stalled. Israel has said it accepts a US-backed temporary truce to release hostages, while Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. - Reuters
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
At least 27 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid, Gaza authorities say
At least 27 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire as they attempted to collect aid near a distribution site in Gaza, local officials were fired upon by tanks, quadcopter drones, and helicopters near the al-Alam roundabout, about 1km (0.6 miles) from the aid distribution centre, a spokesman for Gaza's Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, Mahmoud Basal, said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops fired shots after identifying suspects who moved towards them "deviating from the designated access routes".Israel previously denied shooting Palestinians in a similar incident on Sunday which the Hamas-run health ministry said killed 31 people and injured nearly 200. The director of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Atef Al-Hout, described 24 dead and 37 wounded arriving with gunshot injuries on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on "crowds of civilians waiting for aid in western Rafah."A foreign medic working in the area told the BBC it has been "total carnage" since 03:48 local time (01:48 BST) and that they have been overwhelmed with a statement, the IDF said its troops were "not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites." "The warning shots were fired approximately half a kilometer away from the humanitarian aid distribution site toward several suspects who advanced toward the troops in such a way that posed a threat to them," it added. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory distribution in Gaza has recently been taken over by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israel- and US-backed group which aims to replace UN agencies and other organisations in delivering aid. The GHF system requires civilians to go to distribution centres situated in areas of Israeli military control, and staffed by armed American security contractors. The previous system delivered aid directly to GHF has been heavily criticised by UN bodies and the wider international community for "weaponising" aid and going against humanitarian to Tuesday's incident, the group said: "While the aid distribution was conducted safely and without incident at our site today, we understand that IDF is investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone. This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area."During Sunday's incident, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its hospital in Rafah received "a mass casualty influx" with 21 "declared dead upon arrival".The IDF said its findings from an initial inquiry showed its forces had not fired at people while they were near or within the aid GHF also denied the claims of injuries and casualties at its site and said they had been spread by denials were in direct contradiction to what dozens of civilian witnesses, NGO's, and health officials to Sunday's incident, UN Secretary General António Guterres said in a statement: "I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday"I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable."Later on Monday, UN human rights chief Volker Türk told the BBC the way humanitarian aid is now being delivered is "unacceptable" and "dehumanising"."I think what it shows is utter disregard for civilians. Can you imagine people that have been absolutely desperate for food, for medicine, for almost three months and then they have to run for it or try to get it in the most desperate circumstances?" he told the BBC World Service's Newshour programme."It does show a huge dehumanisation of the people who are desperately in need."Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive, according to the territory's health ministry.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
At least 15 Palestinians killed by Israeli fire at aid point, Gaza officials say
At least 15 people were killed by Israeli fire as they waited for aid distribution in Gaza, local officials and some media reported on Tuesday. 'At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded … when Israeli forces opened fire with tanks and drones on thousands of civilians who had gathered since dawn near the Al-Alam roundabout in the Al-Mawasi area, northwest of Rafah,' civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP. Gaza's health ministry put the death toll higher, saying 24 people were killed early on Tuesday. Hamas-affiliated media also carried the reports. In a statement, the Israeli military said troops fired shots near an aid distribution complex after noticing 'a number of suspects moving towards them.' 'The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces.' The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the incident was under investigation, adding: 'IDF forces are not preventing Gaza residents from reaching the aid distribution sites. The shooting was carried out about half a kilometre from the distribution site.' The reported shooting comes after similar incidents earlier in the week of Palestinians being killed and injured by Israeli fire as they sought to receive aid at newly established distribution points. On Monday, at least three people were killed and dozens more injured at a shooting at an aid point, health officials and a witness said. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at 'suspects' who approached its forces. More than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Sunday as they went to receive food at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed foundation in Gaza, according to witnesses, and a hospital run by the Red Cross. Reuters and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- General
- SBS Australia
Three killed, dozens injured after Israeli forces open fire near Gaza aid site, medics say
At least three Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near an aid site in Gaza. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots to deter suspects approaching troops but denied shooting civilians. The alleged shooting is part of a series of deadly incidents near distribution sites. Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens of others near an aid distribution site operated by the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said. The alleged shooting reportedly occurred at the same location in southern Gaza where witnesses say Israeli forces fired on crowds of aid-seekers a day earlier. The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of casualties and the incident was being thoroughly looked into. It said in a statement that troops had fired warning shots "to prevent several suspects approaching them" about 1 km away from the aid distribution site. The GHF, a private group sponsored by the United States and endorsed by Israel, claimed there had been no fatalities or injuries at its distribution site or the surrounding area. The latest incident in a series of reported shootings of civilians seeking food aid has underscored the volatile system of aid delivery into Gaza, following the easing last month of an almost three-month Israeli blockade. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens wounded near the same site, one of four operated by the GHF in Rafah. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, relatives of Hussam Wafi, a 37-year-old father-of-six, who was killed near the aid site on Sunday, arrived to pay their last respects before burial. Wafi's brother Ali said the victims were driven by hunger. 'The US and Israel, what do they tell us? Go and get your food and water, and the aid. When the aid arrives, they hit us. Is this fair?" Wafi told Reuters. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was appalled by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza on Sunday, and called for an independent investigation. The Israeli military denied firing at people gathering to collect aid, and the GHF said Sunday's distribution was carried out without incident, describing reports of deaths as fabricated by Hamas. The GHF said Monday's deliveries raised the number of meals it has distributed since it began operations to nearly six million. 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 GHF launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more. Its aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the UN and the organisation's own former executive director, who all claim the GHF does not follow humanitarian principles. The Palestinian NGOs Network urged a boycott of what it called the "US-Israeli aid mechanism" in protest over the killings on Sunday.
