Israeli troops shot at Palestinians near food hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near the city of Rafah early on Saturday, killing at least 32 people
Israeli troops opened fire at crowds of innocent Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs in southern Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 32 people, it’s believed.
Witnesses and hospital officials said the shootings occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US and Israeli-backed group which launched operations in May. While the GHF said it distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that Israeli army fire has killed hundreds of people as they try to reach the hubs. GHF’s four sites are in military-controlled zones.
Israel’s army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, said it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces. The military on Saturday said it fired warning shots near Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah after a group of suspects approached troops and ignored calls to keep their distance. It said the incident occurred overnight when the distribution site was closed.
READ MORE: Devastating Gaza aid hub stampede ‘sees up to 19 Palestinians trampled to death’
In a statement, the GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites and added: “We have repeatedly warned aid seekers not to travel to our sites overnight and early morning hours.” Mahmoud Mokeimar said he was walking with masses of people, mostly young men, toward the hub when troops fired warning shots, then opened fire.
“The occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” he said, adding he saw at least three motionless bodies on the ground and many wounded people fleeing. Akram Aker, another witness, said troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones.
He said the shooting happened between 5am and 6am. The GHF had called on people not to approach before 6am on Saturday, citing potential military activities. “They encircled us and started firing directly at us,” Mr Aker said. He said he saw many casualties on the ground.
Sanaa al-Jaberi said there was a shooting after the site opened as people seeking aid broke into a run. “Is this food or death? Why? They don’t talk with us, they only shoot us,” she said, and showed off her empty bag.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies. Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of metres north of another GHF hub in Rafah, the hospital said. Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed the toll.
Dr. Mohamed Saker, head of Nasser’s nursing department, said it received 70 wounded people. He told The Associated Press that most people were shot in the head and chest. “The situation is difficult and tragic,” he said, adding that the facility lacks medical supplies. Some of the wounded, including a child, were treated on the floor. One boy stood patiently, holding up a blood bag for someone on a stretcher.
On Wednesday, a devastating stampede at an aid hub killed as many as 19 Palestinians. More than two million Palestinians are facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza, following warnings from food security experts, earlier this year, that starvation was spreading in the besieged strip.
Carl Skau, the Deputy Executive Director of the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) said last week that humanitarian needs in Gaza “have never been higher” while the ability to assist the population has “never been more constrained.” Briefing journalists on his fourth visit to the war-torn enclave, he said, “The fact that people are now dying every day trying to get food, I think is the starkest illustration of how desperate the situation is.”
According to UN child rights agency UNICEF, some 90,000 children are in urgent need of treatment as malnutrition is surging. One in three people in Gaza goes hungry for days today, the UN has warned, and Mr Skau said he met many families who told him there are days when their children do not eat at all.
“But the days when they are eating it’s often a hot soup they get from us with just a few lentils or a few pieces of pasta, so certainly not enough,” he said, adding that some mothers discourage their children from playing to conserve energy. Since the beginning of the war in October 2023, more than 58,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, with nearly all of Gaza’s population being displaced.