Latest news with #Palestinians
CNN
10 minutes ago
- Politics
- CNN
Israeli military rejects report that soldiers told to fire at Palestinians waiting for food, after repeated deadly incidents
The Israeli military has denied a new report that soldiers were ordered to fire at unarmed Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid in Gaza, after hundreds of people were reported killed while approaching food distribution sites in recent weeks. On Friday, the daily Haaretz newspaper published an article alleging that Israeli soldiers in Gaza were instructed by their commanders to shoot at the crowds of Palestinians approaching aid sites, even as it was evident that the crowds posed no threat. One soldier who spoke anonymously with Haaretz described the approach routes to the aid sites as a 'killing field' where Israeli forces open fire even if there is no immediate threat. According to the article, Israeli forces recently began dispersing crowds with artillery shells, which resulted in a sharp rise in casualties. 'We strongly reject the accusation raised in the article — the IDF did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centers,' the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in response to the article. 'To be clear, IDF directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have also rejected the report as 'vicious lies designed to discredit the IDF – the most moral army in the world.' More than 500 Palestinians have been killed as they approached aid sites or trucks carrying aid since May 27, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Palestinians have come under fire on a near daily basis as they approach the sites, health officials and emergency responders have said. In one such incident earlier this month, more than a dozen eyewitnesses, including those wounded in the attack, told CNN that Israeli troops shot at crowds in repeated volleys of gunfire. Weapons experts said the rate of gunfire heard in the footage, as well as images of bullets retrieved from victims, were consistent with machine guns used by the Israeli military. On multiple occasions, the IDF has acknowledged firing what it called 'warning shots' at Palestinians approaching military positions near aid distribution sites. It has also said that it is examining reports of casualties, but it has not publicly released any findings to date. According to Haaretz, the Military Advocate General has instructed the IDF General Staff's Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism – which reviews incidents involving the potential violations of the laws of war – to investigate suspected war crimes near the aid sites. 'Any allegation of a deviation from the law or IDF directives will be thoroughly examined, and further action will be taken as necessary,' the IDF said on Friday. CNN has reached out to the IDF for additional comment. The Gaza aid sites where the deaths have occurred are run by the controversial Israel- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which hands out pre-packaged boxes of food at a handful of locations in southern and central Gaza. The group's distribution was chaotic from the start one month ago, with crowds of desperate Palestinians rushing the sites the moment they open to take the available aid before it runs out, often within less than an hour. GHF was set up to replace the United Nations aid distribution mechanism, which Israel and the US have accused Hamas of looting. Hamas has rejected those claims, and humanitarian groups say most of the UN-distributed food aid reaches civilians. GHF coordinates with the Israeli military to designate specific routes for Palestinians traveling to their aid sites and has come under sharp criticism from aid experts. It has acknowledged some episodes of violence occurring outside of its immediate aid sites, but repeatedly described food distribution operations as having 'proceeded without incident.' In response to the Haaretz reporting, the organization said it was 'not aware' of the specific incidents described. Nevertheless, it added, 'these allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner.' On Thursday, the US State Department announced that it is awarding $30 million to the organization, a sign of continued US support for GHF, which says it distributed 46 million meals in four weeks of operations.
Scoop
15 minutes ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Guterres Calls For Immediate Gaza Ceasefire As Humanitarian Crisis Reaches ‘Horrific Proportions'
Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters ahead of his departure to Spain for the International Conference on Financing for Development, the Secretary-General said that while the Israel-Iran conflict had dominated recent headlines, the plight of civilians in Gaza remained urgent and dire. ' Families have been displaced again and again – and are now confined to less than one-fifth of Gaza's land,' he said. ' Even these shrinking spaces are under threat. Bombs are falling – on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run. ' Search for food must never be a death sentence Mr. Guterres described the situation as the most severe since the onset of the war, citing acute shortages of food, fuel, medicine and shelter. ' The search for food must never be a death sentence,' he said, highlighting the danger faced by Palestinians simply trying to survive. He has repeatedly called for three urgent steps: an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and full, unimpeded humanitarian access. On Friday, he again pressed for these demands, emphasising that aid workers are starving, hospitals are rationing life-saving supplies and civilians are trapped in unsafe zones. Surge in aid urgently needed 'What's needed now is a surge – the trickle must become an ocean,' he said. The UN chief stressed that Israel, as the occupying power, is legally obliged to facilitate humanitarian relief. 'To those in power, I say: enable our operations as international humanitarian law demands. To those with influence, I say: use it,' he added. Earlier this week, a small convoy of UN medical supplies entered Gaza for the first time in months, Mr. Guterres noted, adding that it only underscored the overwhelming scale of the need. He also also cautioned that any aid delivery method must ensure civilian safety, stressing that 'operations which place desperate people in or near militarized areas are inherently unsafe.' ' We have the solution – a detailed plan grounded in the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence,' he said. ' It worked during the last ceasefire. So it must be allowed to work again. ' Two-State solution critical Mr. Guterres concluded with a broader political appeal: ''
ITV News
17 minutes ago
- Politics
- ITV News
'The search for food must never be a death sentence', says UN chief on Gaza
UN Secretary General Antonia Guterres has condemned the aid distribution system being operated in Gaza and called for safe humanitarian access for all. He said that Israeli military operations have created a "humanitarian crisis of horrific proportions". "Bombs are falling - on tents, on families, on those with nowhere left to run," he said at a press briefing on Friday. "People are being killed simply trying to feed themselves and their families."The search for food must never be a death sentence." Israel has backed an American private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which started distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza for the past month. During that time, scores of Palestinians have been killed trying to seek aid. "Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarized zones is inherently unsafe," Guterres said. "It is killing people." "The problem of the distrubution must be solved. There is no need to reinvent the wheel with dangerous schemes." He said that Israel is required by international law to facilitate humanitarian relief. Let me be clear: Israel, as the occupying Power, is required by international law, to agree to and to facilitate humanitarian relief. "Meanwhile, humanitarian operations continue to be strangled," he told reporters. "For over three months, shelter materials and fuel for critical services have been blocked. "Doctors are forced to choose who gets the last vial of medicine, or the last ventilator. Aid workers themselves are starving." "This cannot be normalized." Guterres said it was time for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and called on world leaders to use their power and influence to work on a solution.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
27 minutes ago
- Politics
- First Post
Netanyahu rejects reports of military targeting civilians at Gaza aid distribution points
The allegations followed repeated reports by eyewitnesses and local authorities over recent weeks of deadly incidents around aid distribution centres in the territory, where Israeli forces are battling Hamas militants read more Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday dismissed a report alleging that military commanders instructed soldiers to open fire on Palestinians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz, known for its left-leaning stance, cited anonymous soldiers who claimed they were told to fire at crowds near aid distribution centers to disperse them, even in the absence of an immediate threat. These claims come amid multiple reports in recent weeks from eyewitnesses and local officials about deadly incidents occurring around aid distribution points in the region, where Israeli forces are engaged in ongoing operations against Hamas. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to Haaretz, the military advocate general—the top legal authority within the Israeli military—has called for an investigation into what were described as 'suspected war crimes' at aid sites. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military declined to comment specifically on that allegation. Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel 'absolutely rejects the contemptible blood libels' and 'malicious falsehoods' in the Haaretz article. The military said in a separate statement that it 'did not instruct the forces to deliberately shoot at civilians, including those approaching the distribution centres'. It added that Israeli military 'directives prohibit deliberate attacks on civilians.' After more than 20 months of devastating conflict, rights groups say Gaza's population of more than two million faces famine-like conditions. The health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza says more than 500 people have been killed near aid centres since late May, when a new US- and Israeli-backed foundation began distributing aid. The privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denies that deadly incidents have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points. Netanyahu and Katz added in their statement: 'The soldiers of the (Israeli military) receive clear orders to avoid harming innocents – and operate accordingly.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Straits Times
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Geneva branch of Gaza aid delivery group could face court action
FILE PHOTO: Palestinians carry aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/ File Photo GENEVA - The Geneva branch of an Israeli- and U.S.-backed group that delivers aid to Gaza has been ordered to comply with its registration requirements or face possible court action. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which has been criticised by the United Nations. The GHF is registered in the United States. It registered an affiliate in Geneva on February 12. A legal document posted on the Commercial Register of the Swiss Canton of Geneva dated Thursday said the GHF affiliate had "deficiencies in the organization that is mandatory by law." The registry gave the GHF 30 days to fix those deficiencies. If it fails to comply, the case will be forwarded to a local court or supervisory authority for action against it, it said. The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment emailed by Reuters. The GHF has previously dismissed U.N. criticism of its operations in Gaza and has told Reuters that the only GHF entity in use today is the foundation established in the U.S. The notification by the Geneva registry is separate to a potential investigation that the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs is considering launching into the foundation. Swiss authorities had previously told Reuters that the foundation does not meet legal requirements including having the right number of board members, a postal address or a Swiss bank account. Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited U.N. deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave seeking aid from both the GHF and U.N. operations. The GHF denies there have been any incidents at its sites and said this week that its aid was being securely delivered. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
