Latest News from Mada
Mada
an hour ago
- Health
- Mada
Sudan Nashra: RSF reclaim strategic areas in Kordofan, bomb hospital in Obeid Burhan forms committee to investigate US chemical weapons claim
As ground battles between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shift to the Kordofan states in western Sudan, newly appointed Prime Minister Kamel Idriss arrived in Port Sudan to formally assume office for the renewed transitional period. Idriss is working to assemble his administrative team in secrecy, a source in the cabinet told Mada Masr, and has yet to engage with any political or military blocs for the new government. According to a source in the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), Idriss is expected to retain some ministers and has been granted full autonomy in selecting his cabinet without interference from either the military or the council. The source also ruled out the inclusion of any armed group not party to the Juba Peace Agreement in the new government. Meanwhile, in response to accusations from the United States that Sudan has used chemical weapons — and Washington's decision to impose sanctions — TSC Chair and military Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the claims. A senior Foreign Ministry official said the move was made at the ministry's recommendation to adhere to international protocol. On the health front, a major surge in the cholera outbreak has swept through the capital Khartoum, with Omdurman at the epicenter. The disease is spreading rapidly amid a collapsed healthcare system and widespread water contamination, exacerbated by RSF shelling of water and electricity stations. Overcrowded hospitals have left patients receiving treatment in the streets. In North Kordofan, an RSF drone strike hit the Daman Hospital in Obeid, killing six people and injuring several others, including medical staff. The attack caused heavy damage and forced the hospital out of service, further straining an already overwhelmed health infrastructure. On the battlefield, the RSF regained control of strategic areas in South and West Kordofan, including Debeibat, Hammadi and Khawi, following a major build-up in the region to push back the military's advance toward Darfur. *** New prime minister arrives in Port Sudan Newly appointed Prime Minister Kamel Idriss arrived in Port Sudan on Thursday ahead of his anticipated swearing in and formal assumption of duties in Sudan's administrative capital. His appointment was announced when Burhan issued a constitutional decree on May 19, naming Idriss — an independent former presidential hopeful and UN official — as prime minister. The move followed internal disputes within the TSC over the earlier nominee, Sudan's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dafallah al-Hajj Ali, whose ties to the former regime, coupled with the sweeping authorities granted to the premiership's position, sparked concerns among the council's members. Idriss is assembling his administrative team in secrecy and has not yet communicated with any political or military groups to form the new government, a senior cabinet official told Mada Masr. The new prime minister — the first in the position since transitional Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned in January 2022 — is expected to retain several current ministers, an informed source in the TSC told Mada Masr, stressing that the choice of cabinet members will be entirely his, without input from the military or the TSC. As for armed groups fighting alongside the military, the source said there has been no communication or appointments that would include any armed faction other than those signatory to the Juba Peace Agreement. Local reports had suggested military-allied Sudan Shield Forces led by Abu Agla Keikel and Baraa ibn Malik brigades would be part of Idriss's upcoming government. Government spokesperson Khalid al-Eaisar described Idriss's arrival in Port Sudan as marking 'a new chapter of hope and democratic transition.' *** Burhan orders investigation into US allegations of chemical weapons use Sudan will face US sanctions over the use of chemical weapons in 2024, the US State Department stated on May 22, a claim the government denied, calling it 'unsubstantiated.' The sanctions include restrictions on US exports to Sudan and limits on access to US government credit lines. In response, Burhan issued a decree on Thursday establishing a national committee to investigate the allegations. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the formation of the committee reflects 'compliance with Sudan's international obligations, including the Chemical Weapons Convention,' and aligns with the government's 'policy of transparency.' The ministry also reiterated Sudan's rejection of the US accusations. Government spokesperson Khalid al-Eaisar condemned the US decision a day after it was made public, describing it as part of a broader pattern of missteps in Washington's policy toward Sudan. 'What distinguishes the present moment,' he said, 'is that such interventions — devoid of moral and legal justification — are further eroding Washington's credibility and shutting the door to any future influence in Sudan through its unilateral and unjust actions.' According to Burhan's decree, the national committee will include representatives from the ministries of foreign affairs and defense, as well as the General Intelligence Service. It has been tasked with investigating the claims and submitting its report promptly. A senior official at the Foreign Ministry told Mada Masr that the committee was formed based on ministry recommendations to adhere to diplomatic protocols rather than resorting to political responses. The US claims lack any supporting evidence, the official added, emphasizing the importance of grounding Sudan's response in international principles. *** RSF regains control of strategic areas in South, West Kordofan Territorial control in Kordofan continues to shift between the military and the RSF as the former presses to assert control in the region and push toward Darfur. Over the past week, the RSF retook strategic areas following heavy clashes. Fighting broke out Thursday in the city of Debeibat, South Kordofan, where the RSF ultimately reclaimed control, a field source told Mada Masr. The paramilitary group stated that it had inflicted heavy losses on the military and its allied forces, reiterating its intent to retake all territory held by the military. The field source said the RSF also seized the town of Hammadi on its northward advance. Videos circulated by RSF fighters appear to confirm their presence in the area. The military had taken control of Hammadi on May 13 and stormed Debeibat on May 23, before the RSF reversed those gains. On Thursday afternoon, the military carried out several airstrikes on RSF gatherings inside Debeibat, resulting in casualties, including injuries to a prominent RSF commander in Kordofan, another field source told Mada Masr. The RSF had been mobilizing large forces from Kordofan and Darfur over the past few days to push back the military's advance and recapture key strategic areas, the source said. Debeibat holds a strategic importance as a junction linking the three Kordofan states. For the military, control of the city would have paved the way to the city of Dalang in South Kordofan and allowed the military to lift the siege on its forces there — forces that have previously engaged in heavy fighting with the RSF and allied militias in the same region. Simultaneously, the RSF launched a large-scale attack on the town of Khawi in West Kordofan on Thursday, capturing it on Friday morning after the military retreated. A local source told Mada Masr that RSF fighters bypassed an advanced military defense line and reached the town's outskirts. In a statement on Thursday, military-allied armed movements' joint force said that it secured a 'sweeping victory' in the Khawi front and that the battle took place just kilometers outside the town. The statement said 344 RSF fighters, including field commanders, were killed, and 67 trucks were destroyed before the remaining RSF forces fled. But the RSF resumed its offensive on Khawi and ultimately established full control the following day, pushing military units, allied armed movements and supporting battalions back toward the outskirts of Obeid, a local source told Mada Masr. RSF troops also advanced northward from South Kordofan to the Kazgil area south of Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. Khawi has seen repeated rounds of heavy fighting, most notably on May 13, when the military dealt a significant blow to the RSF. The town serves as an advanced defensive line for Obeid and holds economic significance for its large gum arabic and livestock markets. At this stage of the Kordofan campaign, a former military officer told Mada Masr, the military's operational objective is to wear down RSF forces and selectively destroy strategic targets before reclaiming territory. Movements on the ground, they said, should be interpreted within that context. *** RSF strike shuts down Daman Hospital in Obeid The RSF bombed the Daman Hospital in Obeid, capital of the North Kordofan State on Friday, killing and injuring several people and incapacitating the hospital. The hospital administration announced that operations have been suspended until further notice due to the extensive structural damage caused by what it described as a strategic drone strike by the Rapid Support Forces. All staff have been placed on a two-week leave. The Sudanese Doctors' Network said in a statement that six people were killed and 14 others injured in the attack, which they confirmed rendered the hospital non-operational. The Emergency Lawyers group, meanwhile, said 15 were injured, including patients, their companions and medical staff. Having Daman Hospital out of service compounds an already dire healthcare situation in the city, the group said. *** Khartoum grapples with cholera surge amid collapse of health, basic services Cholera cases in Khartoum State have surged dramatically, rising from 90 to 815 reported cases per day between May 15 and 25, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Since January, the state has recorded more than 7,700 cases and 185 deaths. Federal Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim, on the other hand, estimated on May 24 that cholera cases climbed to a weekly average of 600 to 700 new infections per week over the previous four weeks. The outbreak comes as more than 34,000 people have returned to Khartoum State in 2025, UNICEF said, many of whom are coming back to homes damaged by fighting with little or no access to essential services, including clean water and sanitation. Around 26,500 children in the state's Jebel Awliya and Khartoum localities are suffering from severe acute malnutrition, leaving them especially vulnerable to cholera infections. Attacks on power infrastructure have severely disrupted electricity and water supplies, forcing families to rely on unsafe water sources and worsening the spread of waterborne diseases, UNICEF added. Just 10 percent of Khartoum's water pumping stations remain operational, while RSF drone strikes deliberately targeted many power facilities, Ibrahim said in a seminar organized by the Health Ministry on Wednesday, which Mada Masr attended. This forced many to rely on untreated Nile water, he added. Nationwide, the disease has infected 23,736 people and claimed 672 lives since the start of the war, with the majority of cases concentrated in Khartoum, according to Ibrahim. The capital's health sector is nearing total collapse. An estimated 90 percent of hospitals are now closed — either destroyed or lacking essential medical supplies, he said. The few facilities still functioning are severely overburdened by the recent spike of patients and face acute shortages of basic medicines, often having to resort to treating people in the hospital's corridors, waiting areas, or even on the streets outside, he said. Omdurman, one of the cities that make up the capital, has particularly borne the brunt of the crisis since last week. At the Naw Hospital, volunteers told Mada Masr that 118 new infections and 24 deaths were recorded inside the isolation ward alone on Tuesday and Wednesday, while another 15 patients who had arrived in critical condition died shortly after. To cope with the numbers, the federal health ministry has transferred patients to other facilities, including Bashaer, Rajhi, Um Badda, Omdurman, and Mohamed al-Amin Hamed Children's Hospital, a volunteer said. In Um Badda, west of Omdurman, an emergency room member told Mada Masr there is a spread of cholera and acute diarrhea, largely due to contaminated drinking water. The member reported 420 cholera cases and 72 deaths over just two days near Um Badda Hospital — a spike likely linked to the transfer of infected patients. In eastern Khartoum, a member of the East Nile emergency room told Mada Masr that over 80 cholera cases, including five deaths, have been documented at the Ban Gadid Hospital in recent days, noting a wider outbreak spanning the Ban Gadid and Umdawanban hospitals. The situation is further compounded by ongoing power outages, which are disabling vital medical equipment and spoiling life-saving medicines and vaccines that require refrigeration, Ibrahim said in the seminar. Medical staff across Khartoum continue to work in perilous conditions, often without security or adequate supplies.
Mada
a day ago
- Health
- Mada
Laila Soueif hospitalized amid hunger strike for her son's release
Laila Soueif was admitted to St. Thomas's Hospital in central London on Thursday night as her health deteriorated due to the hunger strike she has been on for over 200 days to call for her son's release from prison. Activist and writer Alaa Abd El Fattah has been in prison since 2019, in what United Nations experts ruled earlier this week is arbitrary detention by Egyptian authorities. Soueif began a hunger strike in 2024, when Abd El Fattah's prison sentence on false news charges was due to come to an end but prosecutors refused petitions to credit the two years he served in remand detention toward his final sentence. Soueif has appealed to authorities in both Egypt and the United Kingdom, where she and her family hold second nationality. But 'nothing has changed,' Soueif said in a statement 10 days ago, announcing that she would resume the full hunger strike. At medics' advice, the assistant mathematics professor at Cairo University had lessened the restrictions on her caloric intake while maintaining a partial hunger strike in recent months following an initial hospital admission in February. In a statement on Thursday evening, her family said Soueif's blood sugar had dropped to dangerous levels. Sharing an image captured at the hospital, Soueif's daughter, Mona Seif, noted that until this afternoon, Soueif was still conscious but had declined medical intervention. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer last contacted President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on May 22 to push for Abd El Fattah's release. Though Soueif acknowledged Starmer's intentions in her announcement that she would resume a full hunger strike, she concluded that 'nothing is happening' to release her son, adding, 'we have used up more days than we ever thought we had. We need Alaa released now.'
Mada
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mada
Hundreds of people raid WFP's Gaza warehouse after week of Israeli-hindered aid distribution
Hundreds of people stormed a World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Deir al-Balah Governorate on Wednesday night to seize food provisions after distribution of the little aid that has entered the strip in the last week has been marked by chaotic and often violent outbursts due to Israel's restrictions on how it makes its way to people. Two eyewitnesses of Wednesday night's raid who spoke to Mada described an hours-long struggle between hungry crowds and security personnel stationed to protect the warehouse. At least two people were killed in the incident, according to a statement published by the United Nations program, which said the raid took place amid 'spiralling' humanitarian conditions following over 80 days of a complete blockade on the strip. The ongoing siege imposed by Israel's occupation has stretched dwindling resources in the coastal enclave to their limit, caused widespread sickness, that has led to a rash of deaths from malnutrition, and prompted a rapid breakdown in social order. At the same time, Israel has sought to install a securitized aid-distribution scheme in isolation from independent humanitarian organizations. Alongside the American and Swiss-registered Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the Israeli military has established distribution centers policed by its own military, while restricting humanitarian organizations' access to deliver and distribute supplies to families in need, which WFP has called 'the most effective way to prevent widespread starvation.' Those that have made their way to those centers, the first of which opened earlier this week, have faced humiliating conditions and, for some, arrest. When chaos broke out at the center in Rafah earlier this week, Israeli forces opened fire to try to restore order, several of the thousands of people who had gathered at the distribution point were killed and wounded. Israel's induced starvation has prompted a spike in incidents of armed theft across Gaza in recent weeks. An eyewitness to the raid on the WFP's Ghafari warehouse on Wednesday evening told Mada Masr that they were aware before the incident that large quantities of flour were being held in the warehouse. Israel allowed the delivery of sacks of flour to the WFP for the first time in over 80 days last week. However, they prohibited the UN agency from resorting to the previous distribution method, which had seen flour given directly to families. Due to Israel's prohibition, the UN had to resort to distributing the flour to bakeries, which would then make bread and sell it to citizens. Bakeries, however, were unable to manage the crowds of people who had been without sufficient food for over two months. Abu Talal Awwad, the owner of Zadna bakery in Deir al-Balah, told Mada Masr earlier this week that armed groups had stormed several bakeries in the central governorates of Gaza, including the Banna bakery in Deir al-Balah and Hajj bakery in Nuseirat, with assailants threatening to destroy equipment and assaulting staff. An eyewitness to the storming of a bakery told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity th at while waiting in line at a bakery in Nuseirat camp to collect a bundle of loaves, a group of masked men wielding bladed weapons suddenly appeared, seized large quantities of bread, and fled the scene. The bakery subsequently shut down, leaving the eyewitness and tens of thousands of others without access to even a single loaf. Eyewitness Nael Khattab was waiting outside Deir al-Balah's Banna bakery on Saturday to collect a bundle of bread for his family. There was a large crowd and people began pushing, he told Mada Masr. The situation escalated further when some individuals broke down the barriers set up in front of the bakery entrance. The owners had no choice but to open the gates. 'Chaos broke out,' he continued. 'Groups carrying bladed weapons stormed the bakery, stole bread, and loaded it into [tuktuks] waiting outside.' Resident Amal al-Hattou urged for flour to be distributed directly to citizens rather than forcing them to wait for hours at bakeries with no guarantee they'll walk away with any bread. 'We're ready to prepare the bread ourselves,' she said. 'But we don't want to go through this humiliation outside bakeries again just to get some bread.' While some may accept the current bakery-based system in hopes of securing a daily supply of bread, it fails to meet the needs of Gaza's large families, as the allocated quantities are insufficient. Susan Bashir, another resident, said that her household includes 20 people, yet they are only permitted one bundle containing 18 small loaves. She asked how these few loaves are supposed to feed such a large family, adding that if flour were distributed directly, families could bake according to their actual needs. Eyewitness Oday Hemeida called the mechanism ineffective and unjust to hundreds of thousands of residents. There is also no system to manage crowds at bakeries, he said, leading to mass congestion and countless thefts. Many bakeries have refused to participate in the new system, Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami, the head of the Gaza Bakery Owners Association, told Mada Masr, arguing that it fails to meet residents' needs and puts bakeries at risk amid the rise of groups stealing bread. He also described thefts, and said that some of the stolen bread was reappearing in markets at extortionate prices. The stocks positioned at the Ghafari warehouse that was raided on Wednesday were pre-positioned there for distribution, the WFP said on Wednesday night. One of the eyewitnesses who spoke to Mada Masr about the raid said they joined the crowd at the Ghafari warehouse hoping they could get a sack of flour for themselves and their family, who they said had not eaten bread for weeks. Armed individuals outside the warehouse initially attempted to defend it, opening fire on some of those who attempted to approach, the eyewitness said. They noted that several people were injured in the fracas over the course of several hours. A second eyewitness also saw armed security personnel outside, who ultimately withdrew as hundreds of people forced their way into the building. Once the crowd was inside, they emptied the warehouse of all its contents, the first eyewitness said, while the second confirmed that the warehouse had been stocked with large amounts of flour. The raid on the warehouse and the failed attempt to have bakeries manage bread distribution may be enough for the WFP to be able to secure the ability to revert to its previous distribution method. Two civil society representatives in the Gaza Strip told Mada Masr on Wednesday that the WFP is expected to begin distributing flour to families instead of bakeries over the coming days. Bakers Owners Association in Gaza head Abdel Nasser al-Ajrami told Mada Masr that after meetings to determine a better mechanism, the WFP informed the association that Israel has finally approved the delivery of flour to the Gaza Strip week for direct distribution to residents, including its northern governorates, starting early next week. Nahed Shehaibar, the head of the Private Transport Association in Gaza, confirmed the information. Ajrami noted that contacts have been made with the Israeli side to request the reopening of the Zikim crossing, on Israel's border with the northern Gaza Strip, to allow flour and food aid to enter the northern governorates. However, he added that Israel is yet to respond to the request. Ultimately, any change in the distribution method will be in Israel's hands, as it controls all the entrance and exit points of Gaza. Approximately 1,000 tons of flour remain at the Karm Abu Salem crossing, awaiting Israeli approval to allow it into the strip in the coming days, Ajrami said. An Egyptian official also told Mada Masr in recent days that authorities have trucks full of material stationed in North Sinai waiting to enter the strip. 'We want to operate the Rafah border,' the official said, 'but Israel doesn't want to get out.'
Mada
2 days ago
- Business
- Mada
IMF still pushing for privatization after otherwise ‘relaxed' Egypt loan review
An International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation concluded its fifth review of the ongoing US$8 billion loan program with Egypt this week in Cairo with praise for the country's economic performance. However, the fund noted that further steps toward privatization are required, stressing 'the need to accelerate reforms aimed at reducing the state's footprint in the economy.' The current program began in 2022, as Egypt's economy faltered in the economic tailwind caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The agreement has been marked by friction between the IMF and Egyptian authorities, which have been cautious not to spark public anger while implementing recommended policies that undermined Egyptians' purchasing power. The praise Egypt received this time, however, appeared to reflect the degree of 'laxity' shown by Egyptian officials and 'leniency' on the part of the IMF Executive Board during the talks, a government source told Mada Masr on condition of anonymity. Pressure on Egypt has diminished somewhat, according to a member of the House of Representatives' Planning and Budget Committee who attributed the IMF's softened stance to the country's delivery on key loan requirements in ways that 'exceeded expectations.' Liberalizing the exchange rate and monetary tightening are at the forefront of these requirements, the source said. Moving away from a managed peg, the central bank has devalued the Egyptian pound multiple times against the dollar since 2022, allowing daily fluctuations in the exchange rate in recent months. The source also mentioned recent hikes in fuel and electricity prices. Delays in implementing scheduled price increases in both sectors, recommended under the IMF's program to reduce expenditure on subsidies, had been a major stumbling block in completing past reviews. The government has hiked fuel prices by as much as 87 and 207 percent in recent years. During the same period, electricity rates increased by 40-65 percent. Natural gas bracket prices, which had remained unchanged for three years, were raised in September by 15-25 percent. Further hikes in fuel and electricity prices are expected in the upcoming fiscal year, the parliamentary source and a former Petroleum Ministry official told Mada Masr. Inflation has slowed overall, and private investment has increased relative to public, the IMF said. Inflation peaked at around 30 percent in 2024 and has slowed by around 13 percent, according to recent figures. The statement the IMF released on Tuesday to mark the end of its delegation's visit to Cairo also praised a 35 percent increase in the share of private investment relative to public investment over fiscal year 2024/25 compared to FY 23/24. Government investment has shrunk over the past three years from around $15 billion annually to less than $10 billion, the parliamentary source noted. The program has included diminishing expenditure on key public services like education and health. Another reason the review went smoothly is the relative easing of the acute dollar shortage that had frozen imports and economic activity in previous years. 'The government has reopened imports, but they remain constrained primarily by falling demand and purchasing power,' the source said. Speaking to Mada Masr, a financial analyst at an investment firm echoed this view, pointing to around $35 billion in hot money inflows that have helped shield Egypt from a dollar gap. This, they said, has given the government some breathing room, especially with the program set to expire in October 2026. $4.8 billion are yet to be disbursed from the IMF's $8 billion loan. What remains unresolved in the program, the parliamentary source added, is the state's role in the economy. Privatization has been a priority for the IMF in successive package reforms it has recommended since 2016. The source said that the government has offered several explanations for its slow progress toward privatization, including a lack of satisfactory bids for state assets and the need to restructure some of them before they can be put up for sale. In its statement, the IMF emphasized the need to accelerate reforms aimed at reducing the state's footprint in the economy, primarily through the sale of state-owned assets in sectors the government had pledged to exit under its State Ownership Policy. This, the statement said, 'will play a critical role in strengthening the ability of the private sector to better contribute to economic growth in Egypt.' It also warned of Egypt's widening budget deficit, driven by a surge in imports and a decline in fuel exports due to falling production levels. A drop in Suez Canal revenues also contributed to the deficit, the statement said, offsetting gains from tourism, remittances and non-oil exports. It stressed the need to boost government revenues by broadening the tax base to bolster the state's capacity for social and developmental spending, while welcoming recent government efforts to streamline tax and customs procedures to 'increase efficiency and build confidence' — reforms it said are starting to yield positive results. The praise came even as the IMF has yet to publish its fourth review's staff report, which the Egyptian government requested be withheld. The review was approved in March, unlocking a $1.2 billion disbursement. At the time, the IMF also approved Egypt's request for a Resilience and Sustainability Facility agreement, allowing it to access an additional $1.3 billion in financing. The program terms are yet to be announced. Meanwhile, Egypt faces over $6 billion in outstanding payments to the fund through the end of next year, including nearly $3.8 billion due in 2025, according to IMF data. This issue falls under what the IMF describes as Egypt's 'deeper reforms' — measures that are expected to 'unlock the country's growth potential, create high-quality jobs for a growing population, and sustainably reduce its vulnerabilities and increase the economy's resilience to shocks.' Egypt began negotiating with the IMF for a $3 billion loan in late 2022, but the program stalled for several months. Talks resumed in late 2023 and concluded with the loan's augmentation adjustment in two years, which brought the dollar to LE50.
Mada
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mada
Israeli military shoots at aid seekers again near new distribution site, pick-up points remain closed
Thousands of Palestinians who headed to the Israeli-controlled aid distribution zone in southern Gaza on Wednesday did not receive any supplies as the centers remained closed to the public throughout the day, eyewitnesses told Mada Masr. Instead, Israeli drones opened fire on them again, injuring dozens and killing at least four near the Morag corridor, where the new distribution site is located. Aid seekers were told to return home until they are informed of the center's reopening. Wednesday marked the second day of the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operations in an area Israel has designated for a new aid distribution program it has sought to install to replace existing mechanisms. In its first day of operations, Israeli forces stationed near the distribution site conducted at least 13 arrests before opening fire on crowds of people who rushed toward the boxed supplies, while GHF evacuated its staff. The Gaza Government Media Office described the operation as 'an absolute failure.' Thousands of Palestinians headed to the aid distribution center in western Rafah on Wednesday, eyewitnesses who were seeking aid told Mada Masr. The center is based near Morag, the bulldozed corridor zone established by the Israeli military to separate Rafah from the rest of southern Gaza. The area was known among locals as the Muharrarat route or Miraj Street, and was dubbed Morag in the period from 1967 until 2005 during which Israel maintained settlements in the Gaza Strip. When they arrived, they found Israeli military vehicles awaiting them near the corridor. Israeli drones opened fire on the crowds to disperse them, the eyewitnesses said. Several aid seekers were injured and an elderly Palestinian woman was killed in the attack, an eyewitness, Nasser al-Louh, told Mada Masr. At least three more aid seekers were killed by Israeli fire at the site, Palestinian outlets reported. Israeli drones then began to broadcast a recording over loudspeakers ordering residents to retreat to their homes and await messages informing them of the center's reopening date, Louh added. The Civil Defense Directorate in Gaza announced on Wednesday that its ambulance services are currently unable to operate in Rafah. The agency stopped its operations in Gaza's southernmost city in March, when Israeli forces invaded the area, breaking the ceasefire. The directorate stated on Wednesday that it faces obstacles in transporting the injured and dead from Rafah to hospitals, saying it is currently forced to move them in civilian and animal-drawn vehicles. Similar scenes ensued on Tuesday when the new distribution points opened for the first time. Lengthy inspections meant that the thousands who had gathered to receive aid grew tired of waiting in areas enclosed with wire mesh under the scorching afternoon sun. A crowd ultimately broke through the gates and rushed toward the aid boxes to seize them, at which point the distribution company, GHF, evacuated its staff while Israeli forces stationed nearby opened fire on aid seekers. Israeli forces injured about 50 Palestinians and killed an unspecified number on Tuesday inside and around the aid distribution center in Rafah, according to Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam, which added that a number of victims remain at the scene and have not yet been recovered.
