Over 30 Palestinians killed near aid centres run by controversial Israeli-backed scheme
Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near food points in Gaza have become a regular occurrence, with the territory's authorities frequently blaming Israeli fire.
But the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is the main distributor of aid in the territory, has accused militant group Hamas of fomenting unrest and shooting at civilians.
The Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the latest reports.
Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the deaths happened near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and another centre northwest of Rafah, both in the south, attributing the deaths to 'Israeli gunfire'.
One eyewitness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Yunis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when 'Israeli soldiers' started shooting.
'My relatives and I were unable to get anything,' Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, told AFP.
'Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food.'
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Three other eyewitnesses also accused troops of opening fire.
'They started shooting at us and we lay down on the ground. Tanks and jeeps came, soldiers got out of them and started shooting,' said Tamer Abu Akar, 24.
Nine people were killed in gunfire at the same centre in the Al-Shakoush area northwest of Rafah on Friday, the civil defence agency said.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties.
'Agitators'
The war in Gaza, sparked by militant group Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on 7 October, 2023, has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people who live in the coastal territory.
Most people have been displaced at least once by the fighting and doctors and aid agencies say the physical and mental health effects of 21 months of conflict are being increasingly seen.
'We are receiving cases suffering from extreme exhaustion and complete fatigue, in addition to severe emaciation and acute malnutrition due to prolonged lack of food,' the director of the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in Khan Yunis, Sohaib Al-Hums, said on Friday.
'Hundreds' of people were facing 'imminent death', he added.
The World Food Programme said nearly one in three people in Gaza were not eating for days at a stretch and 'thousands' were 'on the verge of catastrophic hunger'.
The free flow of aid into Gaza is a key demand of Hamas in the indirect talks with Israel for a 60-day ceasefire in the war, alongside a full Israeli military withdrawal.
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Following a more than two-month total Israeli blockade, GHF took over the running of aid distribution in late May, despite criticism from the United Nations, which previously coordinated handouts, that it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
GHF said 20 people died at its Khan Yunis site on Wednesday but blamed 'agitators in the crowd… armed and affiliated with Hamas' for creating 'a chaotic and dangerous surge' and firing at aid-seekers.
The previous day, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 'in the vicinity of GHF sites', since it began operating.
Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel led to the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians.
Of the 251 people taken hostage that day, 49 are still in Gaza, including the 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory military action has killed 58,667 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
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RTÉ News
34 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Situation in Gaza 'completely unbearable', says UNRWA
Senior Emergency Officer with UNRWA, the UN's Palestinian agency, Louise Wateridge, has said the situation on the ground in Gaza is "completely unbearable". Today, there are further reports of spiralling malnutrition rates among Gaza's population of more than two million people, and further deaths due to famine. Ms Wateridge described the situation at aid centres as "horror on horror," with accounts of people stepping over dead bodies to try to get some food and returning with nothing. She said the lack of access to Gaza for the aid waiting to enter and Israel's restrictions on it are the problem. "UNRWA alone has 6,000 trucks waiting to get in, half of that is essential food and medical supplies. "It's about an hour away from the border; it could be there this afternoon," she said. Dozens of people have starved to death in Gaza in the last few weeks as a wave of hunger crashes on the Palestinian enclave, according to local health authorities. The World Health Organization said yesterday that 21 children under the age of five were among those who died of malnutrition so far this year. Today, the Gaza health ministry said two more people had died of malnutrition. The head of Shifa Hospital in Gaza said the two were patients suffering from other illnesses who died after going without food for several days. Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, she described her colleagues' stories as "the most horrifying experience I have ever heard anyone relay". "Most of our healthcare workers are parents themselves with starving children. "So, they are leaving their own starving children in the shelters to go to work to be a doctor, to be a nurse, to try and save other people, and other children's lives." Ms Wateridge said the worst, and "most brutal" thing is that there is nothing they can do, because they do not have what they need, like supplies of nutrients, medicines, food and water, none of which is available. She said one in 10 cases of children that UNRWA is screening daily is now "severely malnourished". She said since the ceasefire ended in March this year, cases of malnutrition have risen by "over 150%". "Now, of course, 11 weeks of total siege followed by drips and drops of some food, a lot of it through what we are describing as death-traps," a reference to the US and Israeli-backed aid system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, "because people going to get this food are being killed," she said. Israel considering Hamas response to ceasefire Hamas has confirmed it has responded to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, while Israel said it is examining the Palestinian militant group's proposals. It comes after more than two weeks of indirect talks in Qatar that so far has failed to yield a truce. "Hamas has just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators," the Palestinian militant group said in a statement on Telegram. Israel said it is examining Hamas's response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed. Hamas said yesterday it had submitted its response to mediators but did not disclose the content. Both sides' acknowledgement of ceasefire proposals come after a family of seven were among more than 100 people killed yesterday across 24 hours of Israeli strikes or gunfire, according to health officials. The response by Hamas included proposed amendments to clauses on the entry of aid, maps of areas from which the Israeli army should withdraw, and guarantees on securing a permanent end to the war, according to a Palestinian source familiar with ongoing talks in Doha. Negotiators from both sides have been holding indirect talks in Doha with mediators in an attempt to reach an agreement on a truce deal that would see the release of Israeli hostages. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. But the talks have dragged on for more than two weeks without a breakthrough, with each side blaming the other for refusing to budge on their key demands. For Israel, dismantling Hamas's military and governing capabilities is non-negotiable. While Hamas demands firm guarantees on a lasting truce, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops and the free flow of aid into Gaza. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer accused Hamas of obstructing talks. "Israel has agreed to the Qatari proposal and the updated (US special envoy Steve) Witkoff proposal, it is Hamas that is refusing," Mr Mencer told reporters. He added that Israel's negotiating team was still in Doha and talks were ongoing. The United States said Mr Witkoff will head to Europe this week for talks on a possible ceasefire and an aid corridor. More than 100 aid organisations warned yesterday that "mass starvation" was spreading in Gaza. Israeli forces this morning hit the central Gaza towns of Nuseirat, Deir Al-Balah and Bureij. Health officials at Al-Awda Hospital said three people were killed in an airstrike on a house in Nuseirat, three more died from tank shelling in Deir Al-Balah, and separate airstrikes in Bureij killed a man and a woman and wounded several others. Nasser hospital said three people were killed by Israeli gunfire while seeking aid in southern Gaza near the so-called Morag axis between Khan Younis and Rafah. The Israeli military said Palestinian militants had fired a projectile overnight from Khan Younis toward an aid distribution site near Morag. It was not immediately clear whether the incidents were linked. US Middle East peace envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Europe this week for meetings on the Gaza war and a range of other issues. An Israeli official said Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer would meet Mr Witkoff tomorrow if the gaps between Israel and Hamas over the terms of a ceasefire had narrowed sufficiently. News agencies desperately concerned for journalists The meetings come as four news agencies issued a joint statement expressing major concern for their journalists who are currently operating in Gaza. AFP, Reuters, BBC News and AP said in a joint statement that they are deeply alarmed that the threat of starvation is now one of the hardships endured by journalists in Gaza. "We are desperately concerned for our journalists in Gaza, who are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. "For many months, these independent journalists have been the world's eyes and ears on the ground in Gaza. They are now facing the same dire circumstances as those they are covering," the statement said. "We once again urge the Israeli authorities to allow journalists in and out of Gaza. It is essential that adequate food supplies reach the people there." Meanwhile, UNICEF's spokesperson in Gaza Rosalia Bollen said Gaza "is really one of the most frustrating places on Earth to be working as a humanitarian. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said this is due to the constant bombardment and displacement orders. "Right now there's less than 13% of the territory that is not under displacement order or that hasn't been designated as a military zone, that affects the population, but it also affects our ability to move around and to operate and it means that the population is constantly on the move. "So the communities that we're trying to help, that we're trying to follow, they keep moving and that means that our services have to move to". She said that UN agencies are in constant contact with the Israeli Defence Forces to ensure that agency staff can move around, "to ensure that our premises are deconflicted, as we call it, especially with this latest displacement order for Deir al-Balah, which is in the centre of the Gaza Strip." She said an attack on a UN warehouse earlier this week was "is absolutely frightening". "At the moment, a warehouse is out of order, that gravely undermines humanitarian operations and their ability to bring medicines in. "So this is this is very bad news for healthcare in in Gaza, which was already really on the brink. Right now what we need is more access, more supplies, which are ready outside of Gaza. "The solution is there." The war between Israel and Hamas has been raging for nearly two years since Hamas killed some 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostages from southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in the deadliest attack in Israel's history. Israel has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times.
Irish Independent
9 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Aid groups warn Gaza faces famine as Israeli blockade creates ‘chaos, starvation and death'
The Trump administration's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, was due to meet a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks, a sign that lower-level negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthrough. Experts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israel's blockade and offensive, launched in response to Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Gaza is 'witnessing a deadly surge' in malnutrition and related diseases and that a 'large proportion' of its roughly two million people are starving. Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies, which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions. Hamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds, around 20 of them believed to be alive, in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmed. The groups said they were watching their colleagues 'waste away' In an open letter, 115 organisations, including international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders, Mercy Corps and Save the Children, said they were watching their own colleagues, as well as the Palestinians they serve, 'waste away'. The letter blamed Israeli restrictions and 'massacres' at aid distribution points. Witnesses, health officials and the UN human rights office have said Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid, killing more than 1,000 people. Israel said its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggerated. The Israeli government's 'restrictions, delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos, starvation and death', the letter said. WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism, telling reporters that acute malnutrition centres in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies. He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 10pc and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women, more than 20pc are malnourished, often severely. The UN health agency's representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, Dr Rik Peeperkorn, said there were more than 30,000 children under five years old with acute malnutrition in Gaza, and the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under five have died so far this year. The Israeli foreign ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of 'echoing Hamas's propaganda'. It said it has allowed around 4,500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May, and that more than 700 are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UN. That is an average of around 70 trucks a day, the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN said are needed, and which entered during a six-week ceasefire earlier this year. The UN said it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions, continuing fighting and a breakdown of law and order. An official familiar with ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas said Ron Dermer, a top adviser to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was travelling to Rome to meet Mr Witkoff today to discuss the state of the talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the negotiations. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant The evolving deal is expected to include a 60-day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel. Aid supplies would be ramped up, and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truce. Strikes overnight and into yesterday killed at least 21 people, more than half of them women and children, according to local health officials. One of the strikes hit a house in Gaza City, killing at least 12 people, according to Al-Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. The dead included six children and two women, according to Gaza's health ministry. The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant, and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualties. Another strike hit an apartment in northern Gaza, killing at least six people. Among the dead were three children and two women, including one who was pregnant. Eight others were wounded, the ministry said. A third strike hit a tent in Gaza City late on Tuesday and killed three children, Al-Shifa Hospital said. There was no immediate comment from the military on those strikes.
Irish Post
16 hours ago
- Irish Post
Tánaiste says conditions in Gaza have reached 'new depths of despair and misery'
TÁNAISTE Simon Harris has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, saying conditions in Gaza have reached 'new depths of despair and misery'. His plea comes as more than 100 aid agencies released a joint statement today, saying Israel's restrictions on aid have created 'chaos, starvation and death'. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 59,219 Palestinians have so far died as a result of Israel's actions since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. 'Mass starvation' The Tánaiste's statement comes two days after he and 25 other Foreign Ministers signed a joint statement urging Israel to lift its 'unacceptable' aid restrictions. "The suffering of civilians in Gaza has reached new depths of despair and misery," said the Tánaiste. "Mass starvation is now spreading across the population. People are dying every day from lack of food and medicines. Children are starving before our eyes. "Hundreds have been killed while trying to collect what little food is available. "This is an affront to our collective humanity. A medic cleans the body of Abdul Jawad al-Ghalban, 14, who died of starvation at the Nasser hospital morgue in Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday (Image: AFP via Getty Images) "Ireland calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. "Israel must lift its blockade and allow the full resumption of humanitarian aid into and throughout Gaza. "All hostages must be released by Hamas and returned to their families. "UN and other humanitarian organisations must be allowed to do their work." 'Cycle of hope and heartbreak' Meanwhile, the statement released today, signed by aid agencies including Amnesty International, CAFOD and Save the Children, said even aid workers are joining the food lines 'as the Israeli government's siege starves the people of Gaza'. "Every day without a sustained flow means more people dying of preventable illnesses," it read. "Children starve while waiting for promises that never arrive. "Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of hope and heartbreak, waiting for assistance and ceasefires, only to wake up to worsening conditions. "It is not just physical torment, but psychological. Survival is dangled like a mirage. "The humanitarian system cannot run on false promises. Humanitarians cannot operate on shifting timelines or wait for political commitments that fail to deliver access." It added: "Piecemeal arrangements and symbolic gestures, like airdrops or flawed aid deals, serve as a smokescreen for inaction. "They cannot replace states' legal and moral obligations to protect Palestinian civilians and ensure meaningful access at scale. "States can and must save lives before there are none left to save." See More: Gaza, Palestine, Simon Harris
