At least 27 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday by Israeli fire as they tried to collect aid near a distribution hub in Rafah, according to Gaza’s health ministry and witnesses.
It marks the third deadly incident in three days around the Rafah aid hub run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a controversial Israeli- and U.S.-backed group that was established last month to replace U.N. agencies and other aid organizations.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement on X that it is “aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into.”
“Troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated routes. The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near individual suspects,” the statement added.
The U.N. and other aid agencies have blasted the new aid distribution system, saying it does not address the mounting hunger crisis in Gaza and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon.
“Palestinians have been presented the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said Tuesday.
Türk called for a “prompt and impartial investigation.” “Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law, and a war crime,” he added.
Israel has said the new aid system allows it to prevent Hamas from stealing aid, but has provided no evidence of a systemic siphoning of supplies.
The head of GHF, Jake Wood, resigned on May 25 saying it would not be able to work in a way that met “humanitarian principles.” GHF began operations the following day.
On May 27, at least one Palestinian was killed and 48 wounded as desperate crowds scrambled to collect aid at the new GHF hub in Rafah, according to Gaza’s health ministry and witnesses.
On Sunday, June 1, at least 31 Palestinians were killed and nearly 170 injured near the GHF distribution site in Rafah, Gaza’s health ministry said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement its field hospital in Rafah received a “mass casualty influx” and that the majority had sustained shrapnel and gunshot wounds.
“Once again, desperate hungry civilians get killed & injured while trying to reach aid. It should be delivered to them safely & with dignity,” ICRC spokesperson Hisham Mhanna said in a post on X.
The IDF said in a June 1 statement on X that it “did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false.”
On Monday, June 2, at least three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near a GHF aid hub in Rafah, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The IDF said in a statement that “warning shots were fired toward several suspects who advanced toward” troops about 0.6 mi. from the site.
The new GHF aid distribution system follows a two month blockade from Israel, in which essential food and medical supplies have dwindled, worsening the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Food security experts have warned of a “critical risk of famine.”
The new aid distribution model comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on May 18 that Israel would ease the blockade and let in a “basic” amount of food to Gaza. The comments came hours after Israel launched a major ground offensive.
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