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Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
A deadly race for food: Palestinians in Gaza risk harrowing journey day after day
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Each day, Palestinians in Gaza run a deadly gantlet in hopes of getting food. Israeli troops open barrages of gunfire toward crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say, and knife-wielding thieves wait to ambush those who succeed. Palestinians say lawlessness is growing as they are forced into a competition to feed their families. A lucky few manage to secure some packets of lentils, a jar of Nutella or a bag of flour. Many return empty-handed and must attempt the ordeal again the next day. 'This isn't aid. It's humiliation. It's death,' said Jamil Atili, his face shining with sweat as he made his way back last week from a food center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , an Israeli-backed private contractor. He had suffered a knife cut across his cheek amid the scramble for food and said a contractor guard pepper-sprayed him in the face. Still, he emerged with nothing for his 13 family members. 'I have nothing to feed my children,' he said, nearly crying. 'My heart is broken.' Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks, though United Nations officials say it is not enough to stave off starvation . Most of the supplies go to GHF, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones. A trickle of aid goes to the U.N. and humanitarian groups. Both systems are mired in chaos. Daily gunfire by Israeli troops toward crowds on the roads heading to the GHF centers has killed several hundred people and wounded hundreds more in past weeks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. At the same time, in past weeks, hungry crowds overwhelm most of the U.N.'s truck convoys and strip away the supplies. Israeli troops have opened fire to disperse crowds waiting for trucks near military zones, witnesses say — and on Tuesday, more than 50 people were killed , according to the ministry. The Israeli military says it is investigating. 'I don't see how it can get any worse, because it is already apocalyptic. But somehow it does get worse,' said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office. Israel says it has only fired warning shots at suspects who approached its forces along the roads to the GHF food centers. Palestinian witnesses say the troops fire to prevent crowds from moving past a certain point before the centers open or because people leave the road designated by the military. They describe heavy barrages from tanks, snipers, drones and even guns mounted on cranes. Asked how its soldiers control movement, the military told The Associated Press its 'operational conduct ... is accompanied by systematic learning processes.' It said it was looking into safety measures like fences and road signs. GHF says no shootings have taken place in or near its hubs. A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under GHF rules, said incidents take place before sites open involving aid-seekers who move 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' They said GHF is trying to improve safety, in part by changing opening times to daylight hours. Israel intends for GHF to replace the U.N.-led aid network in Gaza, contending that Hamas diverts large amounts of aid from it. The U.N. denies the claim. Thousands of people must walk miles to reach the GHF centers, three of which are in the far south outside the city of Rafah. Palestinians said the danger begins when the crowds enter the Israeli military zone encompassing Rafah . Mohammed Saqer, a father of three who risked the trip multiple times, said that when he went last week, tanks were firing over the heads of the crowds as drone announcements told everyone to move back. It's 'like it was 'Squid Game,'' Saqer said, referring to the dystopian thriller TV series in which contestants risk their lives to win a prize. Just raising your head might mean death, he said. He and others crawled forward, then left the main road. A shot rang out nearby and they ducked, he said. They found a young man on the ground, shot in the back. The others assumed he was dead, but Saqer felt his chest — it was still warm, and he found a pulse. They carried him to a point where a car could pick him up. Saqer said he stood for a moment, traumatized by the scene. Then people shouted that the site had opened. Everyone broke into a crazed run, he said. He saw several people wounded on the ground. One man, bleeding from his abdomen, reached out his hand, pleading for help. No one stopped. 'Everyone is just running to get to the aid, to get there first,' Saqer said. Omar al-Hobi described the same scene the four times he went last week. Twice, he returned empty-handed; once, he managed to grab a pack of lentils. On the fourth day, he was determined to secure flour for his three children and pregnant wife. He said he and others inched their way forward under tank fire. He saw several people shot in the legs. One man fell bleeding to the ground, apparently dead, he said. Horrified, al-Hobi froze, unable to move, 'but I remembered I have to feed my children .' He took cover in a greenhouse, then heard the announcement that the center was open and began to run. At the center, food boxes are stacked on the ground in an area surrounded by fences and earthen berms. Thousands rush in to grab what they can in a frantic melee. You have to move fast, Saqer said. Once supplies run out, some of those who came too late rob those leaving. He swiftly tore open a box and loaded the contents into a sack — juice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, beans, flour and cooking oil. Then he took off running. There's only one route in and out of the center. But, knowing thieves waited outside, Saqer clambered over a berm, running the risk of being fired on by Israeli troops. 'It all depends on the soldiers' mood. If they are in a bad mood … they will shoot at me. If not, they will let me be,' he said. Heba Jouda said she saw a group of men beat up a boy of 12 or 13 years old and take his food as she left one of the Rafah centers. Another time, she said, thieves attacked an older man, who hugged his sack, weeping that his children had no food. They sliced his arm with a knife and ran off with the sack. Al-Hobi said he was trampled in the scramble for boxes. He managed to grab a bag of rice, a packet of macaroni. He snagged flour — but much of it was ruined in the chaos. At his family tent outside Khan Younis, his wife, Anwaar Saleh, said she will ration it all to make it last a week or so. 'We hope he doesn't have to go back. His life is the most important thing,' she said. Al-Hobi remains shaken — both by his brushes with death and the callousness that the race for food has instilled in everyone. 'No one will show you mercy these days. Everybody fends for themselves.' ___ El Deeb reported from Beirut, Keath from Cairo. AP correspondent Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
Associated Press
2 days ago
- Associated Press
A deadly race for food: Palestinians in Gaza risk harrowing journey day after day
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Each day, Palestinians in Gaza run a deadly gantlet in hopes of getting food. Israeli troops open barrages of gunfire toward crowds crossing military zones to get to the aid, they say, and knife-wielding thieves wait to ambush those who succeed. Palestinians say lawlessness is growing as they are forced into a competition to feed their families. A lucky few manage to secure some packets of lentils, a jar of Nutella or a bag of flour. Many return empty-handed and must attempt the ordeal again the next day. 'This isn't aid. It's humiliation. It's death,' said Jamil Atili, his face shining with sweat as he made his way back last week from a food center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed private contractor. He had suffered a knife cut across his cheek amid the scramble for food and said a contractor guard pepper-sprayed him in the face. Still, he emerged with nothing for his 13 family members. 'I have nothing to feed my children,' he said, nearly crying. 'My heart is broken.' Israel began allowing food into Gaza this past month after cutting it off completely for 10 weeks, though United Nations officials say it is not enough to stave off starvation. Most of the supplies go to GHF, which operates four food distribution points inside Israeli military zones. A trickle of aid goes to the U.N. and humanitarian groups. Both systems are mired in chaos. Daily gunfire by Israeli troops toward crowds on the roads heading to the GHF centers has killed several hundred people and wounded hundreds more in past weeks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. At the same time, in past weeks, hungry crowds overwhelm most of the U.N.'s truck convoys and strip away the supplies. Israeli troops have opened fire to disperse crowds waiting for trucks near military zones, witnesses say — and on Tuesday, more than 50 people were killed, according to the ministry. The Israeli military says it is investigating. 'I don't see how it can get any worse, because it is already apocalyptic. But somehow it does get worse,' said Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian affairs office. Israel and GHF downplay the violence Israel says it has only fired warning shots at suspects who approached its forces along the roads to the GHF food centers. Palestinian witnesses say the troops fire to prevent crowds from moving past a certain point before the centers open or because people leave the road designated by the military. They describe heavy barrages from tanks, snipers, drones and even guns mounted on cranes. Asked how its soldiers control movement, the military told The Associated Press its 'operational conduct ... is accompanied by systematic learning processes.' It said it was looking into safety measures like fences and road signs. GHF says no shootings have taken place in or near its hubs. A spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity under GHF rules, said incidents take place before sites open involving aid-seekers who move 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' They said GHF is trying to improve safety, in part by changing opening times to daylight hours. Israel intends for GHF to replace the U.N.-led aid network in Gaza, contending that Hamas diverts large amounts of aid from it. The U.N. denies the claim. Ducking under fire Thousands of people must walk miles to reach the GHF centers, three of which are in the far south outside the city of Rafah. Palestinians said the danger begins when the crowds enter the Israeli military zone encompassing Rafah. Mohammed Saqer, a father of three who risked the trip multiple times, said that when he went last week, tanks were firing over the heads of the crowds as drone announcements told everyone to move back. It's 'like it was 'Squid Game,'' Saqer said, referring to the dystopian thriller TV series in which contestants risk their lives to win a prize. Just raising your head might mean death, he said. He and others crawled forward, then left the main road. A shot rang out nearby and they ducked, he said. They found a young man on the ground, shot in the back. The others assumed he was dead, but Saqer felt his chest — it was still warm, and he found a pulse. They carried him to a point where a car could pick him up. Saqer said he stood for a moment, traumatized by the scene. Then people shouted that the site had opened. The mad dash Everyone broke into a crazed run, he said. He saw several people wounded on the ground. One man, bleeding from his abdomen, reached out his hand, pleading for help. No one stopped. 'Everyone is just running to get to the aid, to get there first,' Saqer said. Omar al-Hobi described the same scene the four times he went last week. Twice, he returned empty-handed; once, he managed to grab a pack of lentils. On the fourth day, he was determined to secure flour for his three children and pregnant wife. He said he and others inched their way forward under tank fire. He saw several people shot in the legs. One man fell bleeding to the ground, apparently dead, he said. Horrified, al-Hobi froze, unable to move, 'but I remembered I have to feed my children.' He took cover in a greenhouse, then heard the announcement that the center was open and began to run. Avoiding thieves At the center, food boxes are stacked on the ground in an area surrounded by fences and earthen berms. Thousands rush in to grab what they can in a frantic melee. You have to move fast, Saqer said. Once supplies run out, some of those who came too late rob those leaving. He swiftly tore open a box and loaded the contents into a sack — juice, chickpeas, lentils, cheese, beans, flour and cooking oil. Then he took off running. There's only one route in and out of the center. But, knowing thieves waited outside, Saqer clambered over a berm, running the risk of being fired on by Israeli troops. 'It all depends on the soldiers' mood. If they are in a bad mood … they will shoot at me. If not, they will let me be,' he said. Heba Jouda said she saw a group of men beat up a boy of 12 or 13 years old and take his food as she left one of the Rafah centers. Another time, she said, thieves attacked an older man, who hugged his sack, weeping that his children had no food. They sliced his arm with a knife and ran off with the sack. The finish line Al-Hobi said he was trampled in the scramble for boxes. He managed to grab a bag of rice, a packet of macaroni. He snagged flour — but much of it was ruined in the chaos. At his family tent outside Khan Younis, his wife, Anwaar Saleh, said she will ration it all to make it last a week or so. 'We hope he doesn't have to go back. His life is the most important thing,' she said. Al-Hobi remains shaken — both by his brushes with death and the callousness that the race for food has instilled in everyone. 'No one will show you mercy these days. Everybody fends for themselves.' ___ El Deeb reported from Beirut, Keath from Cairo. AP correspondent Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.
The Guardian
16-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
At least 37 Palestinians killed in Gaza food site shooting, local authorities say
At least 37 Palestinians were killed on Monday in new shootings in Gaza near food distribution centres run by private US contractors guarded by Israeli troops, local authorities said. Witnesses blamed the shootings on Israeli troops who opened fire early in the morning in an effort to control crowds of hungry Palestinians converging on two aid hubs managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private organisation that began operating recently in the devastated Palestinian territory with Israeli and US support. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. The death toll on Monday was the highest yet reported in the near-daily shootings since the GHF began operations three weeks ago. Health officials in Gaza said most of today's victims were killed trying to reach the GHF centre near the southern city of Rafah, which has largely been razed by the Israeli military, and close to a second GHF centre in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told the Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at about 4am at the Flag roundabout. The traffic circle, hundreds of metres from the GHF centre, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday its field hospital in Gaza had received 200 cases, marking the highest number received by the facility in one mass casualty incident. On Sunday, the same hospital treated 170 patients, many of whom 'were wounded by gunshots, and who reported that they were trying to access a food distribution site'. Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to travel long distances and cross Israeli military-controlled areas in Gaza, often at night, in a desperate and hazardous effort to get food packages from the new centres. The Israeli military has designated specific routes to access the aid hubs, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the scarce food first. Aid officials said GHF and the Israeli military often give conflicting advice about access to the distribution sites, leading thousands to attempt to access aid through zones that are supposedly still off-limits. Israel hopes the GHF will replace the previous comprehensive system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which Israeli officials claim allowed Hamas to steal and sell aid. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of war, have rejected the new system, saying it is unethical, impractical, inadequate and unethical. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Israeli military officials say they fire warning shots at Palestinians among the crowds seeking food or travelling to the new aid hubs who advance toward Israeli forces and ignore warnings to turn away. A tight blockade on all supplies entering Gaza was imposed by Israel throughout March and April, threatening many of the 2.3 million people who live there with 'a critical risk of famine'. Aid distributed so far by GHF has been grossly inadequate, humanitarian officials in the devastated territory said. On Sunday, GHF said it had distributed 36,000 food boxes, totalling more than 2.1m meals. In Geneva, Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said Israel's near 20-month offensive in Gaza was inflicting 'horrifying, unconscionable suffering' on Palestinians and urged government leaders on Monday to 'wake up' and exert pressure to bring an end to the conflict. 'The facts speak for themselves,' said Türk at the opening of the latest human rights council session. 'Everyone in government needs to wake up to what is happening in Gaza. All those with influence must exert maximum pressure on Israel and Hamas, to put an end to this unbearable suffering.' The war in Gaza was triggered by a Hamas raid into southern Israel in October 2023 in which militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted about 250. Israel's offensive in the aftermath of the Hamas attack has killed more than 55,000 Palestinians and devastated swaths of the territory. Türk has repeatedly spoken out about bloodshed in Gaza and called for the release of more than 50 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas and other armed Palestinian militants there. The Israeli diplomatic mission in Geneva responded by accusing Türk and his office of being 'relentless in making irresponsible and uneducated statements regarding Israel's conduct of hostilities – including reliance on information propagated by terrorist organisations'. It called on Türk to 'condemn Hamas's declared strategy to maximise harm to the population in Gaza'.
Washington Post
16-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
38 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centers, medics say
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Gaza's Health Ministry says 38 Palestinians have been killed in new shootings in areas of food distribution centers in the south of the territory. The toll Monday was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centers. Witnesses say Israeli troops open fire in an attempt to control the crowds.
BBC News
14-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Palestinians reportedly killed and injured near Gaza aid site
Palestinians are reported to have been killed and wounded in another shooting as they gathered near an aid distribution site in central to Palestinian journalists, those killed were fired on by Israeli troops. Information on Saturday's incident is scarce as the internet has been down in Gaza for more than two days. There has been no comment from the IDF as yet. In previous incidents, the Israeli military said troops opened fire when suspects approached them in what they deemed a threatening of those waiting to pick up aid may not know that the distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation - backed by Israel and the US - are closed until Sunday. The organisation posts updates on its Facebook page, which only those with e-sim cards on their phones are able to access, because of the internet blackout. This has only added to the confusion that has increasingly surrounded the delivery of aid in Gaza, with each day seeing incidents in which people are shot at by Israeli troops or local gunmen. Aid supplies and the internet are vital for people in Gaza - the current lack of both lifelines is rendering their plight even more desperate. Large numbers of Palestinians appear to be staying near the aid distribution sites - one in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza and three others further south - so that they will be ready to get hold of food parcels when and if they are opened. There is also increasing concern being expressed by aid groups and medics that Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza may lose its ability to provide essential treatment for those with injuries from shootings near distribution points in Rafah. Reports on Friday morning said that nearly all its healthcare workers had left, leaving just a handful of doctors. This follows the expansion of evacuation orders from the IDF for the surrounding area. The International Committee of the Red Cross has warned that if Nasser Hospital can no longer function, it would mean that there would be no place for the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah to refer patients for specialised care, including blood transfusions. One of the doctors who has recently been working at Nasser Hospital, Dr Feroze Sidwa, has called for international support to keep it going."If international law has any remaining relevance, Nasser must be protected and resupplied, and its staff must be protected immediately," Dr Sidwa said. Dr Victoria Rose, who was working at Nasser hospital in May, issued an even more urgent warning: "This is the only hospital in the south of Gaza. Nowhere else has ITU beds, a CT scanner, oxygen generating capability, haemodialysis or a blood bank. "Hundreds of patients will instantly die and all surgery will now have to take place in tents."It has been 20 months since Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 55,207 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
