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Hamas attack on aid workers leaves eight dead as org fears some were 'taken hostage'
Hamas attack on aid workers leaves eight dead as org fears some were 'taken hostage'

Fox News

time12-06-2025

  • Politics
  • Fox News

Hamas attack on aid workers leaves eight dead as org fears some were 'taken hostage'

An unprovoked Hamas attack on Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) workers left at least eight people dead and many others injured, as the U.S.-backed organization fears some team members may have been taken hostage. "We carefully considered closing our sites today given the heightened security risks and safety concerns, but we decided that the best response to Hamas' cowardly murderers was to keep delivering food for the people of Gaza who are counting on us. We will not be deterred from our mission towards providing food security for the Palestinian people in Gaza," GHF interim Executive Director John Acree said in a statement. "Last night's ambush was a ruthless assault on those who represent the very best of humanity. These were local aid workers – our colleagues – risking their lives to bring food to those who are starving. They weren't combatants. They had no political affiliations. They were there to serve their own people, and they were hunted down by Hamas," GHF Executive Chairman Rev. Johnnie Moore told Fox News Digital. "We are heartbroken, but we're not backing down. We call on the international community to condemn this unprovoked, barbaric attack and start standing with those of us who are doing the work on the ground. We cannot do it alone. All we want to do is feed people. That's all." In an earlier statement on the attack, GHF said that "for days" Hamas had been threatening its team and aid workers, as well as civilians who receive aid from the organization. In the same statement, GHF called on the international community to condemn Hamas. "Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people," GHF's statement read. Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein posted about the attack on X and asked whether the United Nations would condemn it. The United Nations and GHF have been at odds as the international body criticized the U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization and doubted its ability to bring aid to the people of Gaza. In May, Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon accused the U.N. of removing NGOs from a shared aid database after the groups defied a call by the international body to boycott GHF. Moore also slammed the U.N. for its silence in the face of Hamas' threats of violence against aid workers and questioned the organization's absence following the deadly attack. "The UN – worse, much worse, than silence they continue their vicious slander against our mission. A mission with one goal: FEED GAZA! The principle of impartiality does not mean neutrality. There is good and evil in this world. What we are doing is good and what Hamas did to these Gazans is absolute evil," Moore wrote in a post on X. "I am sorry it has come to this but again we extend our hand to UN, the WFP, the ICRC, the EU, the GCC, and the world – join us. We can do this together. Or for God's sake, for the sake of humanity, if you're not going to join us at least have the courage to boycott HAMAS, not us." Since the launch of its operations late last month, GHF has reportedly distributed approximately 18,647,662 meals via roughly 316,320 boxes. Moore recently told Fox News Digital that Palestinians who have received aid from GHF have been thanking the U.S. and President Donald Trump for the assistance. Neither the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres nor the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) responded to Fox News Digital's request for comment in time for publication.

At least five Gaza aid workers dead in 'heinous attack' by Hamas, some possibly taken hostage
At least five Gaza aid workers dead in 'heinous attack' by Hamas, some possibly taken hostage

National Post

time12-06-2025

  • Politics
  • National Post

At least five Gaza aid workers dead in 'heinous attack' by Hamas, some possibly taken hostage

Hamas attacked a bus carrying about two-dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team at about 10 p.m. in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with 'at least five fatalities, multiple injuries and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,' the aid group stated. Article content The 'local Palestinians,' who were 'working side-by-side with the U.S. GHF team,' were on the way to one of the U.S.-backed aid group's distribution centers west of Khan Younis, the foundation said. Article content Article content Article content 'We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,' it stated. 'These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.' Article content Article content 'Our hearts are broken and our thoughts and prayers are with every victim, every family and every person still unaccounted for,' the foundation said. Article content The group, which vowed to continue its mission 'to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza' despite the 'heinous attack,' stated that 'tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity.' Article content 'We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,' it said. Article content The group, which is independent of the United Nations and tries to deliver aid to Palestinians without Hamas stealing the supplies, has endured threats from the terror group before, it said. Article content Article content 'This attack did not happen in a vacuum,' it said. 'For days, Hamas has openly threatened our team, our aid workers, and the civilians who receive aid from us. These threats were met with silence.' Article content 'The GHF holds Hamas fully responsible for taking the lives of our dedicated workers, who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation's sites in central and southern Gaza,' it said. Article content Article content Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, told JNS that 'we are monitoring closely concerning reports of Hamas once again doing whatever it can to thwart humanitarian distribution efforts.' Article content 'The Hamas terrorist regime has zero care for Israelis and, as we continue to see, has zero care for the people of Gaza,' the ambassador told JNS. 'It's why they launch terrorist attacks from urban settings and civilian infrastructure.'

At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack near aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media
At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack near aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media

Sky News

time01-06-2025

  • General
  • Sky News

At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack near aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media

At least 30 people have been killed in an Israeli attack near an aid distribution hub run by a US-backed organisation, according to a Palestinian news agency and Hamas-linked media. Israel has offered no immediate comment of the reported attack, which the Palestinian news agency WAFA says left more than 115 people injured. The reports emerged as a hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 21 people have been killed and another 175 have been wounded as they went to receive aid from the same foundation - which is backed by both Israel and the US. Eyewitnesses said the deaths came after Israel forces opened fire out a roundabout near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub. However, Palestinian and Hamas-linked media has attributed the deaths it has reported on to an Israeli airstrike. It is not yet clear if eyewitnesses and Hamas-affiliated media are giving different accounts of the same incident. The area where the reported shooting took place is controlled by Israeli forces. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, an eyewitness, said Israeli forces opened fire at people moving toward the aid distribution centre. "There were many martyrs, including women," the 40-year-old man said. "We were about 300 meters (yards) away from the military." Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. "We weren't able to help him," he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were heading to the hub. He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene. Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said. "They opened heavy fire directly toward us," he said as he was waiting outside the Red Cross field hospital for word on his wounded relative. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates as part of a controversial aid system which Israel and the US claims is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. The foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials. 0:53 The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the hospital's claims. In an earlier statement, it said it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early on Sunday "without incident". It dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos". Meanwhile, the UN's aid system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month. 3:29 Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly two million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the Palestinian territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90% of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.

At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack on aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media
At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack on aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media

Sky News

time01-06-2025

  • General
  • Sky News

At least 30 people killed in Israeli attack on aid distribution site in Gaza - Hamas-linked media

At least 30 people have been killed in an Israeli attack near an aid distribution hub run by a US-backed organisation, according to a Palestinian news agency and Hamas-linked media. Israel has offered no immediate comment of the reported attack, which the Palestinian news agency WAFA says left more than 115 people injured. The reports emerged as a hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 21 people have been killed and another 175 have been wounded as they went to receive aid from the same foundation - which is backed by both Israel and the US. Eyewitnesses said the deaths came after Israel forces opened fire out a roundabout near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub. However, Palestinian and Hamas-linked media has attributed the deaths it has reported on to an Israeli airstrike. It is not yet clear if eyewitnesses and Hamas-affiliated media are giving different accounts of the same incident. The area where the reported shooting took place is controlled by Israeli forces. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, an eyewitness, said Israeli forces opened fire at people moving toward the aid distribution centre. "There were many martyrs, including women," the 40-year-old man said. "We were about 300 meters (yards) away from the military." Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene. "We weren't able to help him," he said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates as part of a controversial aid system which Israel and the US claims is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred. The foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded, according to local health officials. The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites did not fire on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment following the hospital's claims. In an earlier statement, it said it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early on Sunday "without incident". It dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos". Please refresh the page for the full version.

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