The AFP and Reuters news agencies reported that thousands of people had rushed the food distribution center in Rafah.
Military fired near aid distribution center The Israeli news portal ynet reported that shots were fired from Israeli helicopters, and the Associated Press said Israeli tank and gunfire could be heard as large crowds of Palestinians tried to reach an aid center.
The Israeli military said soldiers fired warning shots in an area outside an aid distribution center, but did not carry out aerial fire toward the center itself.
“We have been watching the video coming out of Gaza around one of the distribution points set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The director of the World Food Program on Monday said there was no evidence Hamas was seizing humanitarian aid.
After claiming to have started operations this week, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has come under fire for allegedly starting to provide large-scale aid to Palestinians in Gaza.
The group reported that it distributed roughly 462,000 meals, or 8,000 food boxes, on Tuesday. The aid follows an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip that lasted for nearly three months.
The GHF team retreated to allow a limited number of Gazans to safely accept aid and disperse due to the high volume of people at the SDS (distribution center), the organization added. Thousands of people rushed to the food distribution center in Rafah, according to news agencies Reuters and AFP.
Near an aid distribution center, military personnel opened fire.
The Associated Press said that Israeli tank and gunfire could be heard as large groups of Palestinians attempted to reach an aid center, while the Israeli news portal Ynet reported that Israeli helicopters fired shots. At first, there were no reports of anyone being hurt in the Rafah incident.
The Israeli military claimed that while soldiers did not direct aerial fire toward the aid distribution center, they did fire warning shots in the vicinity of the center.
Later on Tuesday, GHF reported that “normal operations” had resumed. The organization attributed hours of delays in aid distribution to “blockades imposed by Hamas.”.
Israel’s recent attempts to provide aid in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run media office, “failed miserably.”. “.”.
The UN urges Israel to allow aid deliveries through the Gaza crossings.
Images showing thousands of people swarming to the aid distribution site were described as “heartbreaking” by the spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres. “.”.
“We’ve been watching the footage that’s coming out of Gaza about one of the distribution centers that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has provided. Furthermore, to put it mildly, these pictures and video are heartbreaking,” Stephane Dujarric remarked. In order to provide aid to the needy population, the Secretary-General and our partners have a comprehensive, morally sound, and practically sound plan that is backed by Member States, as she mentioned last week. “,”.
A humanitarian organization supported by the United States and Israel that works in Gaza came under fire from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Tuesday, claiming that its activities are a diversion from the urgently needed full reopening of aid crossings.
Critics argue that the organization’s lack of transparency, political support from the US and Israel, and circumvention of the UN’s established aid systems raise serious concerns about its operational legitimacy, neutrality, and capacity to truly help those in dire need of assistance.
The GHF’s aid model is not supported by OCHA, according to spokesperson Jens Laerke.
“We don’t use this modality. Laerke told reporters in Geneva, “It is a diversion from what is truly needed.”. Calling the current vetting process “cherry-picked” and out of step with humanitarian needs, he demanded that Israel completely reopen all crossings and cease limiting the kinds of aid that can pass through.
Israel has defended its system, claiming that it is designed to keep aid out of the hands of Hamas, which it claims is stealing supplies. There was no proof that Hamas was stealing humanitarian aid, according to the World Food Program’s director on Monday.
Kieran Burke served as the editor.
