At least five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded by Israeli fire near an aid site in Gaza run by an Israeli- and U.S.-backed group, according to health officials and witnesses, while Israel’s military claimed it had only fired warning shots at those approaching its troops.
The bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, which confirmed the toll. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout in the nearby city of Rafah as they went to get food from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
The Israeli military claimed it fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting occurred in an area in southern Gaza that is considered an active combat zone at night.
The GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It says there has been no violence at the sites themselves. But it closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with the Israeli military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes.
In a separate development, the Israeli military accused a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense of being an active Hamas member, according to documents it claimed were recovered during operations inside Gaza.
The Associated Press was not able to independently verify the documents, which purport to show that Mahmoud Bassal joined Hamas in 2005. Bassal did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Civil Defense are first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government and often are the first to arrive at the scenes of Israeli strikes.
The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food.
Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel’s military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching its forces.
Witnesses said Sunday’s shooting occurred at around 6 a.m., when they were told the site would open. Many had headed toward it early to try and get desperately needed food before the crowds.
Adham Dahman, 30, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank had fired toward them. “We didn’t know how to escape,” he said. “This is a trap for us, not aid.”
Zahed Ben Hassan, another witness, said someone next to him was shot in the head. He said that he and others pulled the body from the scene and managed to flee to the hospital.
“They said it was a safe area from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. … So why did they start shooting at us?” he said. “There was light out and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.”
The military had announced Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and that the area would be a closed military zone from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.
The hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones, where independent media have no access, and are run by GHF, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups.
Israel and the United States accuse Hamas of stealing aid, while the U.N. denies there is any systematic diversion. The U.N. says the new system is unable to meet mounting needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by determining who can receive it and forcing people to relocate to where the aid sites are positioned.
The U.N. system has meanwhile struggled to deliver aid, even after Israel slightly eased its complete blockade of Gaza last month. U.N. officials say their efforts are hindered by Israeli military restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting.
Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine if Israel did not lift its blockade and halt its military campaign, which Israeli officials have said will continue until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting cease-fire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Talks mediated by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been deadlocked for months.
The war was triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led incursion that caused around 1,200 deaths and captured 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s genocidal war, in comparison, has devastated Gaza, displacing nearly all its residents and killing more than 54,700 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza health authorities.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population. The territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all of Gaza’s food production capabilities have been destroyed.
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