Latest news with #aidDistribution
Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Gaza aid distribution declared ‘orchestrated killing' by MSF
Doctors Without Borders, better known by its French-language acronym MSF, has called for the immediate end to Israel's militarised food distribution scheme in Gaza, which it described as 'institutionalised starvation and dehumanisation'. In a grim report released on Thursday, titled 'This is not aid. This is orchestrated killing', the medical nonprofit said that it operates clinics in Rafah, southern Gaza, near two GHF aid distribution sites under the control of the Israeli military and private US contractors. Since those sites opened in May, they have become synonymous with 'stampedes, suffocating crowd surges, violent looting and lethal 'crowd control' measures', MSF said in its reports. 'The GHF distribution sites fall dangerously short of any recognised standard for safe and dignified humanitarian distributions,' the report said. 'Nowhere else in the world where MSF operates – including in the most volatile conflict zones – would this level of violence around an 'aid distribution' site be tolerated. This must stop now,' the organisation said. MSF teams were 'mentally prepared for responding to conflict – but not to civilians killed and maimed while seeking aid', it said. MSF's primary care clinics have turned into mass casualty units since GHF took control of aid distribution in Gaza, it added. Over a seven-week period in June and July, MSF received 1,380 injured people and 28 dead bodies at its two primary care clinics in Gaza's al-Attar and al-Mawasi areas, which are close to two GHF distribution sites. The patients included 174 suffering from gunshot wounds, among them women and children, the report said, but most patients were young men and teenage boys. A significant number of patients from GHF sites in Khan Younis arrived with gunshot wounds to their lower limbs bearing a precision that 'strongly suggests intentional targeting of people within the distribution sites, rather than accidental or indiscriminate fire', MSF said. The report noted that many patients had also sustained injuries from 'crowd control' measures, including pepper spray and other kinds of physical assault. Patients injured at GHF sites typically arrived covered in sand and dust 'from time spent lying on the ground while taking cover from bullets', the report adds. 'People are being shot like animals,' an MSF coordinator said in the report. 'They're not armed. They're not soldiers. They're civilians carrying plastic bags, hoping to bring home some flour or pasta. And my question is: how high is the price they have to pay for one bag of food?'
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Health
- Al Arabiya
Israeli forces kill over 20 people seeking food in Gaza, witnesses, health officials say
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites as the malnutrition-related death toll surged. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, looking around and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. 'I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets,' he said. Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital said they had received bodies from near multiple distribution sites, including eight from Teina, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , a private US and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago. The hospital also received one body from Shakoush, an area hundreds of meters (yards) north of a different GHF site in Rafah. Another nine were also killed by troops near the Morag corridor, who were awaiting trucks entering Gaza through an Israeli border crossing, it said. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, told The Associated Press the shootings occurred on the route to the distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward the troops. Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials described a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire Sunday morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to GHF's fourth and northernmost distribution point. 'Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot,' said Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers. At least five people were killed and 27 wounded at GHF's site near Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital said. Eyewitnesses seeking food in the strip have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported 859 people have been killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of UN-led food convoys. The GHF launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the UN-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas, which guarded convoys early in the war, to siphon supplies. Israel has not offered evidence of widespread theft. The UN has denied it. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated Neither Israel's military nor GHF immediately responded to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities. Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry also said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. This brings the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 in the past five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June, it said. Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducted another 251. They still holding 50 captives , around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians , according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures but hasn't provided its own account of casualties.
The Independent
4 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Israeli forces kills over 20 people seeking food in Gaza, witnesses and health officials say
Israeli forces killed at least 23 Palestinians seeking food on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials and witnesses, who described facing gunfire as hungry crowds surged around aid sites as the malnutrition-related death toll surged. Desperation has gripped the Palestinian territory of more than 2 million, which experts have warned is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and nearly two-year offensive. Yousef Abed, among the crowds en route to a distribution point, described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, looking around and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. 'I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets,' he said. Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital said they had received bodies from near multiple distribution sites, including eight from Teina, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) away from a distribution site in Khan Younis, which is operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private U.S. and Israeli-backed contractor that took over aid distribution more than two months ago. The hospital also received one body from Shakoush, an area hundreds of meters (yards) north of a different GHF site in Rafah. Another nine were also killed by troops near the Morag corridor, who were awaiting trucks entering Gaza through an Israeli border crossing, it said. Three Palestinian eyewitnesses, seeking food in Teina and Morag, told The Associated Press the shootings occurred on the route to the distribution points, which are in military zones secured by Israeli forces. They said they saw soldiers open fire on hungry crowds advancing toward the troops. Further north in central Gaza, hospital officials described a similar episode, with Israeli troops opening fire Sunday morning toward crowds of Palestinians trying to GHF's fourth and northernmost distribution point. 'Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot,' said Hamza Matter, one of the aid seekers. At least five people were killed and 27 wounded at GHF's site near Netzarim corridor, Awda Hospital said. Eyewitnesses seeking food in the strip have reported similar gunfire attacks in recent days near aid distribution sites, leaving dozens of Palestinians dead. The United Nations reported 859 people have been killed near GHF sites from May 27 to July 31 and that hundreds more have been slain along the routes of U.N.-led food convoys. The GHF launched in May as Israel sought an alternative to the U.N.-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of allowing Hamas, which guarded convoys early in the war, to siphon supplies. Israel has not offered evidence of widespread theft. The U.N. has denied it. GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Israel's military has said it only fires warning shots as well. Both claimed the death tolls have been exaggerated Neither Israel's military nor GHF immediately responded to questions about Sunday's reported fatalities. Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry also said six more Palestinian adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. This brings the death toll among Palestinian adults to 82 in the past five weeks since the ministry started counting deaths among adults in late June, it said. Ninety-three children have also died of causes related to malnutrition since the war in Gaza started in 2023, the ministry said. The war began when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, and abducted another 251. They are still holding 50 captives, around 20 believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, is staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable count of casualties. Israel has disputed its figures, but hasn't provided its own account of casualties. ___
ABC News
25-06-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Situation in Gaza rapidly deteriorating, UNICEF warns
While the world has been focused on the conflict between Israel and Iran, human rights organisations say the situation in Gaza has been rapidly deteriorating. Of particular concern are reports of shootings at aid distribution sites. Health authorities in Gaza say at least 450 people have died trying to obtain aid over recent weeks, including 40 in just the last 24 hours. The Israeli Defence Force is investigating the incidents. Israel has accused Hamas of hijacking aid deliveries and hiding amongst civilians. 7.30's David Speers interviews James Elder, the global spokesperson for UNICEF, who has just been in Gaza.
Al Jazeera
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Palestinians in Gaza are calling for their own ceasefire
Palestinians in Gaza are calling for their own ceasefire NewsFeed As Iran and Israel talk peace, Palestinians in Gaza feel left behind. Israeli forces and drones killed more than 70 Palestinians on Tuesday, including at least 51 near aid distribution centres. Video Duration 00 minutes 40 seconds 00:40 Video Duration 00 minutes 54 seconds 00:54 Video Duration 02 minutes 37 seconds 02:37 Video Duration 01 minutes 41 seconds 01:41 Video Duration 01 minutes 42 seconds 01:42 Video Duration 01 minutes 12 seconds 01:12 Video Duration 00 minutes 22 seconds 00:22
