Latest news with #Hamas-controlled


Qatar Tribune
3 days ago
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
Dozens of Palestinians reported killed near aid distribution centre in Gaza
dpa Tel Aviv The Israeli military has again killed people waiting near a distribution centre for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas authorities there. The Hamas-controlled health authority said there had been more than 50 fatalities and around 200 injured in the south of the sealed-off coastal area. It did not give any details. Eyewitnesses told DPA that some people were on foot and others in vehicles on their way to a distribution centre when the Israeli army shelled them in an area between the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. The Israeli army stated that a humanitarian aid truck had become stuck near Khan Younis. A crowd had gathered in the area, where Israeli forces were operating, and approached the soldiers. The army acknowledged reports of injuries caused by Israeli fire. 'The details of the incident are currently being investigated,' it said in a statement. The Israeli military expressed regret for any harm caused to individuals not involved in the incident and stated that it strives to minimize injury to civilians. At the same time, it emphasized the need to ensure the safety of Israeli troops. The claims from both the Israeli military and Palestinians could not be independently verified. Palestinian media carried a video showing bloodied victims in a clinic, but the authenticity of the footage has not been confirmed. A doctor working in Gaza City for the World Health Organization (WHO) cited reports of at least 50 victims, including more than 20 fatalities. According to the WHO, incidents also occurred on Sunday and Monday when dozens of patients with gunshot wounds arrived at hospitals. Many did not survive and those that did said they were attacked near distribution centres. The centres are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by Israel and the United States. It began its mission in the Gaza Strip last month following an almost three-month-long Israeli blockade of aid supplies. The distribution is intended as an alternative to the distribution of aid by the United Nations and international aid organizations. Both these groups have criticized the GHF. Israel and the US say the distribution by the GHF prevents Hamas from appropriating humanitarian aid supplies. On several occasions people have been reported killed near the distribution centres. Israel on previous occasions said they had fired at people who were not following prescribed routes. The GHF has previously said that the deaths have occurred outside their own security zone. According to the WHO, 17 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip that still offer minimal services are on the verge of collapse. The main issue is a lack of fuel, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X. Israel is blocking fuel imports and, according to Tedros, is not allowing the WHO to access remaining reserves stored in areas of the Gaza Strip designated as evacuation zones by Israel. These zones cover 80% of the territory, according to the UN. Without fuel, operating theatres, dialysis machines, and incubators cannot function, medicines cannot be refrigerated, and water cannot be boiled. 'Ceasefire. NOW,' Tedros said.

Gulf Today
3 days ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
51 Palestinians killed while waiting for aid trucks in Gaza
At least 51 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 wounded in the Gaza Strip while waiting for UN and commercial trucks to enter the territory with desperately needed food, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and a local hospital. Palestinian witnesses told the media that Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd in the southern city of Khan Younis. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It did not appear to be related to a new Israeli- and US-supported aid delivery network that rolled out last month and has been marred by controversy and violence. Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Yousef Nofal, an eyewitness, said he saw many people motionless and bleeding on the ground after Israeli forces opened fire. "It was a massacre," he said, adding that the soldiers continued firing on people as they fled from the area. Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian killed in what the Gaza Health Ministry said were Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Reuters Mohammed Abu Qeshfa said he heard a loud explosion followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling. "I survived by a miracle," he said. The dead and wounded were taken to the city's Nasser Hospital, which confirmed the toll. Samaher Meqdad was at the hospital looking for her two brothers and a nephew who had been in the crowd. "We don't want flour. We don't want food. We don't want anything," she said. "Why did they fire at the young people? Why? Aren't we human beings?" People react as Palestinian casualties, who were waiting to receive aid, are brought into Nasser hospital following an Israeli strike, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. Reuters Palestinians say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed on Monday trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centres were killed elsewhere. Palestinians are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2½ months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of aid. Palestinians gather to receive aid supplies in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Reuters Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4am at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. "Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. "It's getting worse day by day," she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured on Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. A Palestinian man carries aid supplies, in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday. Reuters The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF centre, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the centre. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the centre or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told media on Sunday that "none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving "during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. Israel and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the UN-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. Palestinians wave as they ride in the back of a truck west of Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, on Monday. AFP UN agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system. They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a "sterile' enclave in the southern Gaza. Speaking at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were "specious and cynical,' and were intended "to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.' "This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,' Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF centres. A Palestinian man walks across the rubble of a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, on Monday. AP Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of famine. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which the Palestinian group Hamas fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The fighters still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Associated Press


India Today
4 days ago
- General
- India Today
34 Palestinians killed in deadliest shooting near Gaza's food distribution hubs
Israeli troops opened fire Monday as crowds tried to reach Israeli-and US-supported food distribution centres in Gaza, witnesses said. The 34 people killed, according to health officials, made it the deadliest day of such shootings since the new aid system launched last Israeli military didn't immediately comment on Monday's shootings. But after some previous ones that have been a near-daily occurrence since the aid centres opened three weeks ago, it said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions, though it didn't say whether those shots struck say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centres opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed Monday trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centres were killed are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2 months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of DESCRIBE CROWDS UNDER FIREadvertisementIsraeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 am at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food centre, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. "Fire was coming from everywhere," said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. "It's getting worse day by day," she Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF centre. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF centre, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the centre or because people leave the GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that "none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours". It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving "during prohibited trying to take a short cut". It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours.A NEW AID DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMIsrael and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the UN-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system. They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a "sterile" enclave in southern at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were "specious and cynical", and were intended "to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning"."This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos," Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other Watch IN THIS STORY#Israel#Gaza Strip


Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
At least 34 killed in deadliest day of shootings near Gaza's new food distribution centers
Israeli troops opened fire Monday as crowds tried to reach Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in Gaza, witnesses said. The 34 people killed, according to health officials, made it the deadliest day of such shootings since the new aid system launched last month. The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on Monday's shootings. But after some previous ones that have been a near-daily occurrence since the aid centers opened three weeks ago, it said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions, though it didn't say whether those shots struck anyone. Palestinians say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed Monday trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centers were killed elsewhere. Palestinians are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2½ months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of aid. Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. 'It's getting worse day by day,' she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times … or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. Israel and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the U.N.-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. U.N. agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system. They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a 'sterile' enclave in the southern Gaza. Speaking at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were 'specious and cynical,' and were intended 'to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.' 'This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,' Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF centers. Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of famine. Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.


Japan Today
4 days ago
- Health
- Japan Today
34 killed in deadliest day of shootings near Gaza's new food distribution centers
By WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Israeli troops opened fire Monday as crowds tried to reach Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in Gaza, witnesses said. The 34 people killed, according to health officials, made it the deadliest day of such shootings since the new aid system launched last month. The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on Monday's shootings. But after some previous ones that have been a near-daily occurrence since the aid centers opened three weeks ago, it said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions, though it didn't say whether those shots struck anyone. Palestinians say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed Monday trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centers were killed elsewhere. Palestinians are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2½ months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of aid. Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. "It's getting worse day by day," she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. Israel and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the U.N.-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. U.N. agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system. They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a 'sterile' enclave in the southern Gaza. Speaking at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were 'specious and cynical,' and were intended 'to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.' 'This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,' Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF centers. Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of famine. Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.