Latest news with #aiddistribution
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
New Gaza aid group met with chaos, gunfire in its first week
In the southern tip of Gaza, along a dusty road that is mostly desolate — but for an Israeli military presence — thousands of Palestinians gathered on Friday for the latest aid distribution from the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The lines were long, the road was dangerous and the possibility of leaving empty handed was high. But people were, and remain, desperate. And after weeks of aid not getting into Gaza, they'll go to any lengths to secure some food. "I'm coming to face death so I can feed my children," Imran Wafi told CBC News, from the side of a road leading to a distribution point. "We know it's dangerous but the big catastrophe is there's no food for us to eat." GHF claims it has delivered over two million meals in Gaza in its first week of operations in the enclave. The U.S.-backed startup was established in February in Switzerland, and has already drawn widespread condemnation from other aid agencies operating in the territory. In a statement to CBC News, GHF said its distributions occurred "without incident" and that it plans to expand its presence in the enclave "including in the northern region" in the weeks to come. It currently runs two sites, one in Rafah and one in central Gaza in the Natsarim corridor. WATCH | GHF delivers aid in Gaza: But eyewitness reports from the ground say many of those distributions have been chaotic, and that at least one person was killed at a GHF hub — a claim which the organization denies. Video footage from throughout the week shows droves of people breaking through fences and running in every direction amid gunshots. Gaza resident Ahmed Al-Qadi says his friend, Mohamed Abdelhadi, was killed getting aid from GHF at Natsarim on Wednesday. "He went to get aid and on his way home... he turned his back and he got hit," he said. "This aid is with blood, it's dipped in blood." GHF denies anyone was killed during its operations this week. "No civilians or individuals involved with the distribution of aid were injured, no lives were lost," it said in a statement to CBC News. And yet, aid distributions by the group, which started on Monday, have not been without hiccups, many ending with warning shots or chaotic breaks by Palestinians through fences set up to control the lineups. GHF has also faced criticism from organizations including the United Nations, which opposes its operations in Gaza. The previous leading aid group in Gaza, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA), was banned from the territory last year by Israel over its staffers' alleged involvement in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas which sparked the current war in Gaza. Despite that, UNRWA continued operating and the ban was met with concern from international leaders. The UN said Friday that GHF is an "attempt to circumvent the UN and its agencies on the ground" which have been present in Gaza for a long time "in accordance with international law." The statement went on to say that GHF "fails the test of humanitarian principles." CBC News caught up with people walking back from the distribution point in central Gaza. One man showed the contents of a box containing flour, sugar, pasta and oil. But not everyone was as lucky. Gaza resident Muhammad Abu Gharqud said Thursday was the second time he came to a distribution point and left empty handed. Leaning on a crutch because of his amputated leg, the 45-year-old looked exhausted. "I can't find food for my kids," he said. "I can't find anything." Desperation mounted for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as looting became more frequent this week. Some aid trucks were allowed in but were met with mobs of civilians looking for any food they can get their hands on and particularly flour. Muhammad Shamlakh was at the scene when a truck was looted in Gaza City on Thursday. He said people were "eating each other alive." "The people are dying of hunger," he said. "There's no flour, everything was stolen." WATCH | Palestinians loot aid truck:
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How controversial US-Israeli backed Gaza aid plan turned to chaos
The masked and armed security contractor atop a dirt mound watches thousands of Palestinians who have been kettled into narrow lanes separated by fences below. He makes a heart shape with his hands and the crowd responds - the fence begins to bend as they push against it. This jubilant scene was filmed on Tuesday, the opening day of an aid distribution centre - a vital lifeline for Gazans who haven't seen fresh supplies come into the strip for more than two months due to an Israeli blockade. But by that afternoon, the scene was one of total chaos. Videos showed the distribution centre overrun by desperate civilians trampling over toppled barriers; people flinched as sounds of gunshots rang out. This was the disorderly start to a controversial new aid distribution scheme operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly created body backed the the US and Israel. GHF has been tasked with feeding desperately hungry Gazans. The UN said more than two million are at risk of starvation. The foundation, which uses armed American security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid in Gaza. It has been roundly condemned and boycotted by aid agencies and the UN. But Israel has said an alternative to the existing aid system was needed to stop Hamas stealing aid, which the group denies doing. To get a picture of the first few days of this new aid delivery system, BBC Verify has authenticated dozen of images at distribution sites, interviewed humanitarian and logistics experts, analysed Israeli aid transport data and official statements released by the GHF, and spoken with Gazans searching for supplies. GHF said it aimed to feed one million Gazans in its first week of operations through four secure distribution sites. A foundation spokesperson said on Friday, its fourth day of operations, that it had distributed two million meals. The BBC has not been able to verify this figure, which would be less than one meal per Gazan over the course of four days. GHF did not respond to our inquiries about how it was tracking who had been receiving them. In a video filmed at GHF's northern site near Nuseirat on Thursday, Palestinians can be seen being running away from a perimeter fence after GHF contractors threw a projectile that exploded with a loud bang, a flash and smoke. GHF in a statement said its personnel "encountered a tense and potentially dangerous crowd that refused to disperse". "To prevent escalation and ensure the safety of civilians and staff, non-lethal deterrents were deployed—including smoke and warning shots into the ground," it said. "These measures were effective", it added, "and no injuries occurred." BBC Verify cannot independently confirm this. Later that evening, GHF warned Gazans via Facebook that it would shut down any site where looting occurred. The GHF is not the only aid organisation facing serious challenges. The night before the GHF warning, a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse was looted, resulting in several deaths which are still being investigated. In response to the incident, the WFP said humanitarian challenges "have spiralled out of control" and called for "safe, unimpeded humanitarian access" to Gaza immediately. The WFP did not respond to BBC questions about how it would implement further security measures at its warehouses. Palestinians seeking aid have characterised the GHF-led operation as disorganised, saying a lack of communication has contributed to the chaotic scenes seen this week. Things have been further muddied by misinformation. BBC Verify has seen at least two Facebook profiles purporting to be official GHF accounts, sharing inaccurate information about the status of the aid distribution centres. One page with more than 4,000 followers posted inaccurate information, sometimes alongside AI-generated images, that aid had been suspended or that looting at GHF centres had been rampant. A GHF spokesman confirmed to BBC Verify that both these Facebook accounts were fake. He also said that the foundation had launched an official Facebook channel. Transparency information online showed the page was first created on Wednesday, the day after distribution operations started. Aid organisation Oxfam and local Gazan residents have told the BBC that residents are instead relying on word of mouth to circulate information when aid was available. "All of the people are hungry. Everyone fights to get what they want, how are we supposed to get anything?" said Um Mohammad Abu Hajar, who was unable to secure an aid box on Thursday. Oxfam criticised the location of the GHF distribution sites, telling BBC Verify that it imposed "military control over aid operations". It's policy adviser, Bushra Khalidi, also questioned how vulnerable people, such as the elderly, would be able to reach these sites, which are located some distance away from some population centres. When the UN had been delivering aid before Israel's humanitarian blockade, there were 400 distribution points spread across Gaza. Under the present GHF distribution system there currently are four known sites. "By and large, its designed to dramatically increase the concentration of the population by having the only sources of food remaining in a very small number of places," said Chris Newton, a senior analyst at the brussels-based think tank Crisis Group. "You either follow all their rules and probably survive in a small radius around these sites or you are very unlikely to survive." The presence of armed security and Israeli soldiers at or near the distribution sites has also alarmed experts, who said it undermined faith in aid operations. "Distributing assistance in this kind of environment is extremely difficult. [It's] much more effectively done when you are trying to work with, and through, the people there… rather than at the point of a mercenary's gun," said Prof Stuart Gordon at the London School of Economics. A GHF spokesperson said: "Our ability - and willingness - to act under pressure is exactly why GHF remains one of the only organisations still capable of delivering critical food aid to Gaza today." Images and videos taken by eyewitnesses and the Israeli military showed the GHF boxes appeared limited to canned food, pasta, rice, cooking oil and some biscuits and lentils. "Humanitarian aid is not just a food box that you slap humanitarian on and you call it humanitarian aid," Ms Khalidi said. The supplies being given to families should be accompanied by medical support, hygiene and water purification kits, said Prof Gordon. A 14-page document from GHF, seen by the BBC, promised to hand out water and hygiene kits at the sites. On Friday, only one of the four GHF sites was distributing aid. It opened for less than an hour after which GHF announced on Facebook that it had closed because all its supplies had been "fully distributed". When asked by BBC Verify why only a single site was operational and why its boxes ran out so quickly, a GHF spokesperson said supply "will vary day by day". "Good news is we have provided two million meals in four days and will be ramping up in the coming days and weeks," the spokesman said. But many are still returning from distribution sites without boxes for their families. "I am empty-handed like God created me," said Hani Abed outside the centre near Netzarim on Thursday. "I came empty-handed and I left empty-handed." Additional reporting and verification by Emma Pengelly, Rudabah Abbass, Alex Murray, Thomas Spencer, Benedict Garman and Richard Irvine-Brown. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate? Gaza warehouse broken into by 'hordes of hungry people', says WFP Hamas official says it will reject new US Gaza ceasefire plan backed by Israel Security breaks down in Gaza as desperate people search for food
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
How the controversial US-Israeli backed Gaza aid plan turned to chaos
The masked and armed security contractor atop a dirt mound watches thousands of Palestinians who have been kettled into narrow lanes separated by fences makes a heart shape with his hands and the crowd responds - the fence begins to bend as they push against jubilant scene was filmed on Tuesday, the opening day of an aid distribution centre - a vital lifeline for Gazans who haven't seen fresh supplies come into the strip for more than two months due to an Israeli by that afternoon, the scene was one of total chaos. Videos showed the distribution centre overrun by desperate civilians trampling over toppled barriers; people flinched as sounds of gunshots rang was the disorderly start to a controversial new aid distribution scheme operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a newly created body backed the the US and has been tasked with feeding desperately hungry Gazans. The UN said more than two million are at risk of starvation. The foundation, which uses armed American security contractors, aims to bypass the UN as the main supplier of aid in Gaza. It has been roundly condemned and boycotted by aid agencies and the UN. But Israel has said an alternative to the existing aid system was needed to stop Hamas stealing aid, which the group denies get a picture of the first few days of this new aid delivery system, BBC Verify has authenticated dozen of images at distribution sites, interviewed humanitarian and logistics experts, analysed Israeli aid transport data and official statements released by the GHF, and spoken with Gazans searching for supplies. Chaotic scenes at distribution centres GHF said it aimed to feed one million Gazans in its first week of operations through four secure distribution sites.A foundation spokesperson said on Friday, its fourth day of operations, that it had distributed two million meals. The BBC has not been able to verify this figure, which would be less than one meal per Gazan over the course of four did not respond to our inquiries about how it was tracking who had been receiving a video filmed at GHF's northern site near Nuseirat on Thursday, Palestinians can be seen being running away from a perimeter fence after GHF contractors threw a projectile that exploded with a loud bang, a flash and smoke. GHF in a statement said its personnel "encountered a tense and potentially dangerous crowd that refused to disperse"."To prevent escalation and ensure the safety of civilians and staff, non-lethal deterrents were deployed—including smoke and warning shots into the ground," it said."These measures were effective", it added, "and no injuries occurred." BBC Verify cannot independently confirm that evening, GHF warned Gazans via Facebook that it would shut down any site where looting GHF is not the only aid organisation facing serious challenges. The night before the GHF warning, a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse was looted, resulting in several deaths which are still being response to the incident, the WFP said humanitarian challenges "have spiralled out of control" and called for "safe, unimpeded humanitarian access" to Gaza WFP did not respond to BBC questions about how it would implement further security measures at its warehouses. Disorganised GHF communication Palestinians seeking aid have characterised the GHF-led operation as disorganised, saying a lack of communication has contributed to the chaotic scenes seen this have been further muddied by misinformation. BBC Verify has seen at least two Facebook profiles purporting to be official GHF accounts, sharing inaccurate information about the status of the aid distribution page with more than 4,000 followers posted inaccurate information, sometimes alongside AI-generated images, that aid had been suspended or that looting at GHF centres had been rampant.A GHF spokesman confirmed to BBC Verify that both these Facebook accounts were fake. He also said that the foundation had launched an official Facebook information online showed the page was first created on Wednesday, the day after distribution operations organisation Oxfam and local Gazan residents have told the BBC that residents are instead relying on word of mouth to circulate information when aid was available."All of the people are hungry. Everyone fights to get what they want, how are we supposed to get anything?" said Um Mohammad Abu Hajar, who was unable to secure an aid box on Thursday. Aid agency concerns Oxfam criticised the location of the GHF distribution sites, telling BBC Verify that it imposed "military control over aid operations".It's policy adviser, Bushra Khalidi, also questioned how vulnerable people, such as the elderly, would be able to reach these sites, which are located some distance away from some population centres. When the UN had been delivering aid before Israel's humanitarian blockade, there were 400 distribution points spread across Gaza. Under the present GHF distribution system there currently are four known sites."By and large, its designed to dramatically increase the concentration of the population by having the only sources of food remaining in a very small number of places," said Chris Newton, a senior analyst at the brussels-based think tank Crisis Group."You either follow all their rules and probably survive in a small radius around these sites or you are very unlikely to survive."The presence of armed security and Israeli soldiers at or near the distribution sites has also alarmed experts, who said it undermined faith in aid operations."Distributing assistance in this kind of environment is extremely difficult. [It's] much more effectively done when you are trying to work with, and through, the people there… rather than at the point of a mercenary's gun," said Prof Stuart Gordon at the London School of Economics.A GHF spokesperson said: "Our ability - and willingness - to act under pressure is exactly why GHF remains one of the only organisations still capable of delivering critical food aid to Gaza today." Images and videos taken by eyewitnesses and the Israeli military showed the GHF boxes appeared limited to canned food, pasta, rice, cooking oil and some biscuits and lentils."Humanitarian aid is not just a food box that you slap humanitarian on and you call it humanitarian aid," Ms Khalidi supplies being given to families should be accompanied by medical support, hygiene and water purification kits, said Prof Gordon.A 14-page document from GHF, seen by the BBC, promised to hand out water and hygiene kits at the sites. On Friday, only one of the four GHF sites was distributing aid. It opened for less than an hour after which GHF announced on Facebook that it had closed because all its supplies had been "fully distributed".When asked by BBC Verify why only a single site was operational and why its boxes ran out so quickly, a GHF spokesperson said supply "will vary day by day"."Good news is we have provided two million meals in four days and will be ramping up in the coming days and weeks," the spokesman many are still returning from distribution sites without boxes for their families."I am empty-handed like God created me," said Hani Abed outside the centre near Netzarim on Thursday."I came empty-handed and I left empty-handed."Additional reporting and verification by Emma Pengelly, Rudabah Abbass, Alex Murray, Thomas Spencer, Benedict Garman and Richard Irvine-Brown. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?
Arab News
2 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Witnesses in Gaza describe more chaos at food distribution sites
NUSEIRAT: Chaos erupted again Thursday as tens of thousands of desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip tried to collect food from distribution sites run by a new US- and Israeli-backed foundation. Multiple witnesses reported a free-for-all of people grabbing aid, and they said Israeli troops opened fire to control crowds. In central Gaza, Associated Press video showed smoke bombs arching through the air around a distribution center, and gunfire was audible as an Israeli tank moved nearby. Witnesses said it was Israeli troops who fired the projectiles to clear large crowds of Palestinians after the center ran out of supplies Thursday. 'I came to get a sack of flour … a sardine tin or anything,' said Mahmoud Ismael, a man on crutches from an earlier leg injury who said he walked for miles to get to the center, only to leave empty-handed. 'There is no food in my house, and I can't get food for my children,' he said. Turmoil has plagued the aid system launched this week by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs three distribution centers in the territory. Israel has slated GHF to take over food distribution in Gaza despite opposition from the United Nations and most humanitarian groups. Over the past three days, there have been reports of gunfire at GHF centers, and Gaza health officials have said at least one person has been killed and dozens wounded. The Israeli military said it has facilitated the entry of nearly 1,000 truckloads of supplies into Gaza recently and accused the UN of failing to distribute the goods. It claimed Hamas was responsible for the crisis by stealing aid and refusing to release the remaining hostages. The military's spokesman, Brig. Gen. Effei Defrin, said the army will continue 'to provide for the humanitarian needs of the civilian population while taking necessary steps to ensure that the aid does not reach the hands of Hamas.' With media not allowed to access the centers, the circumstances remain unclear. The distribution points are guarded by armed private contractors, and Israeli forces are positioned in the vicinity. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it fired warning shots to control a crowd outside one center. Dr. Khaled Elserr, a surgeon at Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis, told the AP he treated two people wounded at distribution centers on Thursday — a 17-year-old girl and a man in his 20s. Both had gunshot wounds in the chest and stomach, he said, adding that other casualties had come in from the centers but that he did not have an exact number. In a statement Thursday, GHF said no shots had been fired at any of its distribution centers the past three days and there have been no casualties, saying reports of deaths 'originated from Hamas.' Separately on Thursday, Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 34 people, according to local health officials. Israel said it would establish 22 more Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank. Most of the international community views settlements as illegal and an obstacle to resolving the decades-old conflict. Turmoil at aid distribution sites Hunger and malnutrition have mounted among Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians since Israel barred entry of food, fuel, medicine and other supplies nearly three months ago, allowing a trickle of aid in only the past two weeks. GHF has opened hubs in three locations – two in the far south around the city of Rafah, and the other in central Gaza near the Netzarim corridor, a strip of territory controlled by Israeli forces. The large crowds have to walk miles to reach the locations. More than a dozen Palestinians described chaos at all three Thursday. At one of the Rafah sites near the Morag Corridor, another Israeli-held strip, one man told the AP he and his cousin arrived at 5:30 a.m., and found thousands of people massed outside, waiting to be let in. When it was opened, the crowd flowed into an outdoor area ringed by barbed wire and earth berms, where pallets of food boxes had been left. Armed contractors stood on the berms watching, and beyond them Israeli troops and tanks were visible, said the 41-year-old man, who spoke on condition he be identified only by his first name, Shehada, for fear of reprisals. The crowd descended on the food boxes, and pushing and shoving got out of control, he said. Shehada said the contractors pulled back and Israeli troops shot at people's feet. His cousin was wounded in the left foot, he said. 'The gunfire was very intense,' he said. 'The sand was jumping all around us.' At the other Rafah site, several people told AP of a similar scene of pallets of food boxes left on the ground for the crowds to take whatever they could with no control by staff. Mohammad Abu-Elinin, said 'gangs' carried off cartloads of flour bags and multiple aid boxes. Samira Z'urob said by the time she arrived at 6.a.m, 'the thieves had stolen people's aid.' When she begged, one person gave her a bag of pasta and a can of beans. 'I said, Thank God, and took it to my children,' she said. 'I haven't had flour for more than a week.' Another woman, Heba Joda, said people tore down metal fences and took wooden pallets. When the food boxes ran out, staff told people to leave, then fired sound grenades to disperse them, she said. As people fled through a nearby roundabout outside the center, Israeli troops fired gunshots, causing a panic, she said. Abu-Elinin said he saw one man wounded by shrapnel. At the center in central Gaza, witnesses told the AP that Israeli troops fired tear gas and smoke grenades to disperse the crowds when aid ran out. AP video showed crowds of people returning from the site, some with carts full of boxes and many with nothing. Aisha Na'na said all she managed to grab were some sticks to use as firewood. 'We had come to get food for our children, but it was all in vain — we returned with nothing,' she said. Israel says the GHF system will replace the massive aid operation that the UN and other aid groups have carried out throughout the war. It says the new mechanism is necessary, accusing Hamas of siphoning off large amounts of aid. The UN denies that significant diversion takes place. In its statement Thursday, GHF said it has distributed more than 32,200 boxes of food since Monday. It says each box, which contains basics like sugar, lentils, pasta and rice, can make 58 meals. It said it will scale up to start operations at a fourth center and will build additional hubs in the weeks ahead. The UN and other aid groups have refused to participate in the mechanism, saying it violates humanitarian principles. They say it allows Israel to use food as a weapon, forcing people to move to the hubs, potentially emptying large swaths of Gaza. They also say it cannot meet the massive needs of the population. Israel has allowed in some trucks of aid for the UN to distribute, but the UN has struggled to deliver the material amid looting and Israeli military restrictions. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters Thursday that Israeli authorities hadn't given permission for UN trucks to move to the border to retrieve the arriving supplies for the previous three days.
The National
2 days ago
- General
- The National
Can Israel be trusted to distribute aid in Gaza?
Chaotic scenes unfolded in Gaza this week as large crowds gathered at aid hubs set up by a US and Israeli-backed organisation, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. After three months of an Israeli-imposed blockade on the enclave, hungry, desperate Palestinians stood behind fences, waiting to receive their share. Reports and videos quickly emerged showing people overrunning a hub in Rafah, the southernmost part of Gaza. At least four people died on the first day and dozens were injured, mostly by Israeli gunfire. The Israeli army said it fired warning shots in the area outside the compound. Within two days, the foundation had temporarily paused its operations. The organisation has been heavily criticised by the UN and other humanitarian agencies for what they say is a weaponisation of aid that breaches their principles of neutrality and impartiality. Israel says the new mechanism will stop the looting of supplies by Hamas, but critics fear it will be used discriminately to deny aid to certain people. In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the efficacy and ethics of aid distribution by a party to the conflict and asks, what happens if this is the only option for Palestinians in Gaza? She speaks to UNRWA's external relations and communications director Tamara Alrifai, international human rights lawyer Saul Takahashi and Knesset member Ofer Cassif.
