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Belfast Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Belfast Telegraph
Sound of gunfire reported as Palestinians try to reach new aid centre
Witnesses said chaos erupted as desperate people broke through fences at the centre, forcing staff to retreat. There was no immediate word on whether there were any injuries. The turmoil came on the second day of operations by a US-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which Israel has tasked to take over food distribution in Gaza, despite opposition from the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children walked for several miles, through Israeli military lines, to reach the GHF distribution hub set up on the outskirts of Rafah. In the afternoon, an Associated Press journalist, positioned some distance from the hub, heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. Afterwards, crowds were seen returning from the site, almost all of them without having received aid. Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among those seeking aid, said crowds of people stormed into the distribution centre, breaking fences. He heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead, 'It was chaos,' he said. 'People were panicked.' Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance, east of the centre. 'The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened,' he said. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocol aims at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened'. GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday – both of them in the Rafah area. UN officials and aid workers have warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and crowds of people seeking aid at the hubs.
The Journal
27-05-2025
- General
- The Journal
Sound of gunfire reported as Palestinians try to reach new aid centre
ISRAELI TANK AND gunfire was heard on Tuesday while giant crowds of Palestinians tried to reach a newly opened aid distribution centre in southern Gaza, it has been reported. Witnesses said chaos erupted as desperate people broke through fences at the centre, forcing staff to retreat. There was no immediate word on whether there were any injuries. The turmoil came on the second day of operations by a US-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which Israel has tasked to take over food distribution in Gaza, despite opposition from the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children walked for several miles, through Israeli military lines, to reach the GHF distribution hub set up on the outskirts of Rafah. Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo In the afternoon, an Associated Press journalist, positioned some distance from the hub, heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Advertisement Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. Afterwards, crowds were seen returning from the site, almost all of them without having received aid. Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among those seeking aid, said crowds of people stormed into the distribution centre, breaking fences. He heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead, 'It was chaos,' he said. 'People were panicked.' Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance, east of the centre. 'The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened,' he said. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocol aims at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened'. GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday – both of them in the Rafah area. UN officials and aid workers have warned of the risk of friction between Israeli troops and crowds of people seeking aid at the hubs.
RTHK
27-05-2025
- General
- RTHK
Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food centre
Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food centre Palestinians rush to get aid boxes in Rafah. Video screengrab: Reuters Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new US-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a centre distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Israel said nearby troops fired warning shots. An AP journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares. The Israeli military said its troops fired the warning shots in the area outside the centre and that 'control over the situation was established.' At least three injured Palestinians were seen by the Associated Press being brought from the scene, one of them bleeding from his leg. The distribution hub outside Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations despite opposition from the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children walked for several miles from the sprawling tent camps along Gaza's Mediterranean coast – through Israeli military lines – to reach the GHF hub. Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among those seeking aid, said crowds of people stormed into the distribution centre, breaking fences. He heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. 'It was chaos,' he said. 'People were panicked.' Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance, east of the centre. 'The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened,' he said. UN chief Antonio Guterres's spokesman said the scenes of thousands of people rushing the aid distribution site were "heartbreaking," "We have been watching the video coming out of Gaza around one of the distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. And frankly, these video, these images, are heartbreaking to say the least," Stephane Dujarric said. "As the Secretary-General noted last week, we and our partners have a detailed, principled, operationally sound plan supported by Member States to get aid to [the] desperate population," he added. (Agencies)
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Israeli troops fire warning shots as Palestinians overwhelm new Gaza food center
MUWASI, Gaza Strip — Chaos erupted on the second day of aid operations by a new U.S.-backed group in Gaza as desperate Palestinians overwhelmed a center distributing food on Tuesday, breaking through fences. Israel said nearby troops fired warning shots. An AP journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire and saw a military helicopter firing flares. The Israeli military said its troops fired the warning shots in the area outside the center and that 'control over the situation was established.' At least three injured Palestinians were seen by the Associated Press being brought from the scene, one of them bleeding from his leg. The distribution hub outside Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah had been opened the day before by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been slated by Israel to take over aid operations despite opposition from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine. On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children walked for several miles from the sprawling tent camps along Gaza's Mediterranean coast -- through Israeli military lines -- to reach the GHF hub. In the afternoon, the AP journalist, positioned some distance away, heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. He saw a military helicopter overhead firing flares. Crowds were seen running from the site. A few managed to secure aid boxes — containing basic items like sugar, flour, pasta and tehini — but the vast majority left empty-handed. Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among those seeking aid, said crowds of people stormed into the distribution center, breaking fences. He heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead, 'It was chaos,' he said. 'People were panicked.' Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance, east of the center. 'The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened,' he said. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and 'fell back' to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocol aims at 'avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened.' GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday — both of them in the Rafah area. U.N. officials and aid workers have warned of the risk of frictions between Israeli troops and crowds of people seeking aid at the hubs. Jahjouh writes for the Associated Press.
ITV News
27-05-2025
- General
- ITV News
Israeli tank and gunfire heard as chaos erupts at new aid distribution centre in Gaza
Israeli tank and gunfire was heard on Tuesday as chaos erupted at a newly opened distribution centre in southern Gaza, according to the Associated Press. An AP journalist heard the firing sounds while giant crowds of Palestinians tried to reach the centre. Witnesses said chaos erupted as desperate people broke through fences at the center, forcing staff to retreat. There was no immediate word on whether there were any injuries. The turmoil came on the second day of operations by a US-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , which Israel has slated to take over food distribution in Gaza, despite opposition from the United Nations and other humanitarian organisations. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of Israeli blockade pushed Gaza to the brink of famine . On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children walked for several miles, through Israeli military lines, to reach the GHF distribution hub set up on the outskirts of Rafah. In the afternoon, the Associated Press journalist, positioned some distance from the hub, heard gunfire and rounds of tank fire. Smoke could be seen rising from where one round impacted. Afterwards, crowds were seen returning from the site, almost all of them without having received aid. Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among those seeking aid, said crowds of people stormed into the distribution center, breaking fences. He told AP that he heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. "It was chaos," he said. "People were panicked." Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance, east of the center. "The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened," he said. In a statement, GHF said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed the group's safety protocols and "fell back" to allow them to dissipate, then later resumed operations. A spokesperson for the group told the AP that no shots were fired from GHF. Speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the group's rules, the spokesperson said the protocol aims at "avoiding loss of life, which is exactly what happened." GHF uses armed private contractors to guard the hubs and the transportation of supplies. The hub is also close to Israeli military positions in the Morag Corridor, a band of territory across the breadth of Gaza that divides Rafah from the rest of the territory. GHF has set up four hubs around Gaza to distribute food, two of which began operating on Monday - both of them in the Rafah area. UN officials and aid workers have warned of the risk of frictions between Israeli troops and crowds of people seeking aid at the hubs.
