At least four Palestinians were killed and shot near an aid distribution center in southern Gaza before dawn on Saturday, local health workers said. The victims were said to be on their way to a facility run by the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an aid distribution project supported by Israel and the United States.
Deadly Incident at Rafah Aid Site
Paramedics reported the four were in a group of people waiting in the hopes of getting food assistance. One woman reported her husband was hit in the head while he was waiting for supplies. The facility, near Rafah, had not yet opened for the day.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported that soldiers opened fire in warning after issuing a verbal warning to an apparent group threat. “The number [of casualties] does not match information presently held by the IDF,” a release stated, although the military did confirm having knowledge of reports of injuries.
Increased Death Toll among Gaza GHF Distribution Points
The GHF system has been tainted by controversy since it was inaugurated. At least 60 Palestinians have been killed in reported shooting incidents in the first three days of aid distribution. Various eyewitnesses have accused Israeli soldiers of carrying out the shootings.
The IDF reported that it had only opened fire to issue warning shots in the first few days and eventually shot in the vicinity of people who were suspected. It stated that probes into the incidents are ongoing.
IDF Restrictions and Contested Gaza Aid Mechanism
Israeli troops have stated that entry and exit to GHF locations are only allowed between 06:00 and 18:00. During other times, the sites are considered “active combat areas.”
GHF established three centers on last Sunday one in Gaza City and two others in Rafah. Israel started permitting limited aid into Gaza after a three-month closure but diverted it through GHF instead of the United Nations.
Israeli authorities blame the UN for not doing enough to stop diversion of aid by Hamas combatants, a charge the UN does not acknowledge. Humanitarian agencies have universally criticized the GHF strategy as unsafe and unethical.
The Madleen, however, a ship belonging to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition with climate activist Greta Thunberg onboard, was said to be 160 nautical miles off Gaza. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened that the boat should not make it to the coast, saying, “You’d better turn back, because you will not reach Gaza.”
