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Boston Globe
21-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
A deadly race for food: Palestinians in Gaza risk harrowing journey day after day
'I have nothing to feed my children,' he said, nearly crying. 'My heart is broken.' Advertisement Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks, though United Nations officials say it is not enough to stave off starvation. Most of the supplies go to GHF, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones. A trickle of aid goes to the U.N. and humanitarian groups. Both systems are mired in chaos. Daily gunfire by Israeli troops toward crowds on the roads heading to the GHF centers has killed several hundred people and wounded hundreds more in past weeks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Advertisement At the same time, in past weeks, hungry crowds overwhelm most of the U.N.'s truck convoys and strip away the supplies. Israeli troops have opened fire to disperse crowds waiting for trucks near military zones, witnesses say — and on Tuesday, more than 50 people were killed, according to the ministry. The Israeli military says it is investigating. 'I don't see how it can get any worse, because it is already apocalyptic. But somehow it does get worse,' said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office. Israel says it has only fired warning shots at suspects who approached its forces along the roads to the GHF food centers. Palestinian witnesses say the troops fire to prevent crowds from moving past a certain point before the centers open or because people leave the road designated by the military. They describe heavy barrages from tanks, snipers, drones and even guns mounted on cranes. Asked how its soldiers control movement, the military told The Associated Press its 'operational conduct ... is accompanied by systematic learning processes.' It said it was looking into safety measures like fences and road signs. GHF says no shootings have taken place in or near its hubs. A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under GHF rules, said incidents take place before sites open involving aid-seekers who move 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' They said GHF is trying to improve safety, in part by changing opening times to daylight hours. Israel intends for GHF to replace the U.N.-led aid network in Gaza, contending that Hamas diverts large amounts of aid from it. The U.N. denies the claim. Advertisement Thousands of people must walk miles to reach the GHF centers, three of which are in the far south outside the city of Rafah. Palestinians said the danger begins when the crowds enter the Israeli military zone encompassing Rafah. Mohammed Saqer, a father of three who risked the trip multiple times, said that when he went last week, tanks were firing over the heads of the crowds as drone announcements told everyone to move back. It's 'like it was 'Squid Game,'' Saqer said, referring to the dystopian thriller TV series in which contestants risk their lives to win a prize. Just raising your head might mean death, he said. He and others crawled forward, then left the main road. A shot rang out nearby and they ducked, he said. They found a young man on the ground, shot in the back. The others assumed he was dead, but Saqer felt his chest — it was still warm, and he found a pulse. They carried him to a point where a car could pick him up. Saqer said he stood for a moment, traumatized by the scene. Then people shouted that the site had opened. Everyone broke into a crazed run, he said. He saw several people wounded on the ground. One man, bleeding from his abdomen, reached out his hand, pleading for help. No one stopped. 'Everyone is just running to get to the aid, to get there first,' Saqer said. Omar al-Hobi described the same scene the four times he went last week. Twice, he returned empty-handed; once, he managed to grab a pack of lentils. On the fourth day, he was determined to secure flour for his three children and pregnant wife. Advertisement He said he and others inched their way forward under tank fire. He saw several people shot in the legs. One man fell bleeding to the ground, apparently dead, he said. Horrified, al-Hobi froze, unable to move, 'but I remembered I have to feed my children.' He took cover in a greenhouse, then heard the announcement that the center was open and began to run. At the center, food boxes are stacked on the ground in an area surrounded by fences and earthen berms. Thousands rush in to grab what they can in a frantic melee. You have to move fast, Saqer said. Once supplies run out, some of those who came too late rob those leaving. He swiftly tore open a box and loaded the contents into a sack — juice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, beans, flour and cooking oil. Then he took off running. There's only one route in and out of the center. But, knowing thieves waited outside, Saqer clambered over a berm, running the risk of being fired on by Israeli troops. 'It all depends on the soldiers' mood. If they are in a bad mood … they will shoot at me. If not, they will let me be,' he said. Heba Jouda said she saw a group of men beat up a boy of 12 or 13 years old and take his food as she left one of the Rafah centers. Another time, she said, thieves attacked an older man, who hugged his sack, weeping that his children had no food. They sliced his arm with a knife and ran off with the sack. Advertisement Al-Hobi said he was trampled in the scramble for boxes. He managed to grab a bag of rice, a packet of macaroni. He snagged flour — but much of it was ruined in the chaos. At his family tent outside Khan Younis, his wife, Anwaar Saleh, said she will ration it all to make it last a week or so. 'We hope he doesn't have to go back. His life is the most important thing,' she said. Al-Hobi remains shaken — both by his brushes with death and the callousness that the race for food has instilled in everyone. 'No one will show you mercy these days. Everybody fends for themselves.'
Al-Ahram Weekly
17-06-2025
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Again Israel kills at least 50 Palestinians near aid site in Gaza - War on Gaza
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli occupation forces on Tuesday killed at least 50 people gathered near an aid distribution site in Khan Younis in the territory's south, updating an earlier toll. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that at least 50 people were killed and more than 200 wounded as thousands of Palestinians gathered to receive flour at a charity aid centre in the morning. "Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded," he said. Israeli occupation forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points run by a separate US- and Israeli-backed aid group since the centres opened in May. Local health officials say scores have been killed and hundreds wounded. In those instances, the Israeli army has acknowledged firing warning shots at people it claimed had suspiciously approached its forces. UN agencies and major aid groups have rejected the new system, saying it cannot meet the mounting needs in Gaza and that it violates humanitarian principles by allowing Israel to control who has access to aid. Experts have warned of widespread famine in Gaza. The UN-run network has delivered aid across Gaza throughout the 20-month Israeli genocidal war, but has faced major obstacles since Israel loosened a total blockade it had imposed from early March until mid-May. UN officials say Israeli military restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it difficult to deliver the aid that Israel has allowed in. Israel's war on Gaza since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry also reported that as a result of the deadly attack, "51 martyrs and more than 200 injuries have arrived at Nasser Medical Complex, including 20 in critical condition." Dr Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at the hospital, said to the BBC that the individuals arriving at the hospital had been attacked by 'tanks' while waiting for food. * This story was edited by Ahram Online. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
NDTV
05-06-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Dozens Killed As Israeli Troops Fire Near Aid Distribution Site In Gaza
Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians desperately seeking food near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza on Sunday, according to a CNN investigation backed by eyewitness accounts, video analysis, and forensic evidence. Over a dozen witnesses told the American cable network that Israeli troops fired volleys of machine gun fire at crowds near a roundabout about 800 metres from the fenced enclosure run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The designated access road, Al-Rasheed Street, lies within an area under full Israeli military control. In March, Israel suspended all humanitarian aid to Gaza, triggering severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. The United Nations reported that more than 3,000 aid trucks were stranded at the border, unable to deliver supplies to Gaza's two million residents. In response, GHF established new aid centres in Israeli-controlled zones, many of which have now become flashpoints for violence. Survivors recounted a night of chaos and bloodshed as thousands rushed toward the only functioning humanitarian aid site in the Tel al-Sultan area of Rafah. "I could hear the screams of young people and others from their injuries," said Mohammed Saqer, 43, who survived the incident. "In front of me were four young men with direct injuries to the head... there was a person next to me who was injured by a bullet in his eye." Weapons experts confirmed that the rapid rate of fire, up to 960 rounds per minute, heard in videos, matched the FN MAG machine guns mounted on Israeli tanks. Videos reviewed by CNN show tracer fire lighting up the sky shortly after the centre opened around 5:00 am. Several clips uploaded on social media show crowds scrambling for cover amid the gunfire. ⚡️BREAKING: Israel is trying to deceive the world and deny the Rafah aid massacre at the GHF - Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, where 50 Palestinians were killed. Despite clear evidence including a video showing the attack at the U.S.-run aid center with audible gunfire.… — Suppressed News. (@SuppressedNws) June 1, 2025 While the IDF initially denied targeting civilians, a military source later admitted to firing "warning shots" at individuals about a km from the site. IDF spokesperson Brig. General Effie Defrin rejected CNN's findings, calling the report "false" and aligned with "Hamas propaganda." "It simply didn't happen," he claimed. However, GHF's own surveillance footage captures crowds storming the centre as gunfire is seen flashing in the background. By sunrise, the ground was littered with the bodies of Palestinians shot while attempting to get food. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported 31 killed and over 200 injured. Many are hit in the head or chest. Doctors confirmed the bullets extracted were NATO-standard rounds used in Israeli weapons. GHF denied any gunfire, calling reports "fabricated," and "actively fomented" by Hamas. CNN's footage and multiple testimonies directly contradicted this. More violence followed on Monday and Tuesday, with similar attacks near the GHF distribution centre killing nearly 30 more people. The IDF said its forces opened fire again after "suspects" approached from undesignated access points. The UN has criticised GHF's distribution model as dangerous and unregulated, calling it a "cynical sideshow" that turns hunger into a weapon. The IDF had earlier released drone footage alleging Hamas gunmen fired on aid seekers, saying, "Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza." Independent fact-checkers later debunked the footage as misleading and not tied to the incident.
