Latest news with #aiddistribution
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'Death race' for food: Hundreds killed in Gaza aid chaos
Like "Squid Game." That's how residents describe it, invoking the dystopian TV show when recounting the lethal gantlet that getting aid in famine-haunted Gaza has become. 'It's a death race. The faster, the stronger, the luckier — they're the ones who might survive, might reach the food,' said 30-year-old Mohammed al-Shaqra. 'It feels like we're animals, racing for a box of supplies as if our lives depend on it. And they do.' Ever since Israel sidelined the United Nations and other humanitarian aid organizations late last month and tasked assistance operations to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an opaque U.S.- and Israeli-backed private contractor registered in Delaware, killing has been the near-daily companion of aid deliveries. On Thursday, health authorities in Gaza said 12 people were killed near one of the foundation's aid distribution centers, a relatively low toll in a week that saw 59 killed in similar circumstances on Tuesday. Since the foundation began its work May 26, more than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,000 wounded. Al-Shaqra became one of the casualties this month. On June 8, he gathered with thousands of others early in the morning near the aid center in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. It was his third attempt to get food. 'I was desperate to bring something back — flour, rice, pasta, anything — for my parents, my siblings and their kids,' he said. When the passageway to the distribution center opened, Al-Shaqra sprinted as fast as he could, hoping to beat others in the crowd and grab a box. But then an Israeli quadcopter drone — it had been buzzing overhead — started dropping explosives; the third bomb landed close to him, he said. 'My left arm shattered. I looked down and saw the bone hanging, and there was a sharp pain in my guts,' he said. Cradling his arm and trying to stop bleeding from his stomach, he stumbled for almost half a mile before collapsing onto a donkey cart. A kind driver took him to a field hospital for the International Committee of the Red Cross. The doctors saved his arm. The foundation came online two months after Israel cut off all aid entering into Gaza in March, justifying the blockade — despite widespread opprobrium — as a way to pressure the militant group Hamas into releasing hostages even as Palestinian authorities and aid groups reported a starvation crisis. Although the U.N. and humanitarian relief organizations pleaded for access to feed the roughly 2 million people in the Gaza Strip, Israel insisted Hamas was stealing aid, a claim the U.N. and other groups deny and for which Israel has never provided evidence. The alternative, the Israeli government said, would be the foundation. But the group was controversial from the outset, so much so that its first pick as executive director quit before aid deliveries even began, saying the foundation's plan couldn't be implemented without 'breaching humanitarian principles.' Boston Consulting Group, which helped design the distribution system, terminated its contract with the foundation this month and fired two partners involved with the project. Instead of using humanitarian workers, the foundation has deployed armed private contractors with the Israeli military stationed only a hundred yards or so away. It also concentrated aid deliveries to what the group calls four 'fortified' hubs in southern Gaza rather than the roughly 400 smaller centers used by the U.N. and other aid groups across the enclave — forcing already hungry people to walk for miles through active combat zones to access the deliveries. Gaza residents also complain only one or two hubs are usually operating on any given day, and rarely open at the announced time. It's also never stated what's in the food boxes. And rather than directly handing the boxes to people, the group's workers instead dump them on pallets and watch crowds swarm over them. People gather hours in advance on safe routes designated by the Israeli military, but often find themselves under Israeli fire when allowed to approach the hubs. 'It's a real-life version of 'Squid Game.' We run, then the shooting starts, we hit the ground and stay still so we're not killed, then run again,' said Hussein Nizar, a resident who repeatedly tried to get aid, even after his neighbor Ameen Sameer was shot in the head. 'I watched him die beside me," he said. "I couldn't do anything to help out because of all the shooting.' The Israeli military has repeatedly responded to questions about killings near the aid hubs by saying it would look into reports of civilian casualties. In a previous incident, it said troops fired on people approaching them in a threatening manner. Several Palestinians and a foundation spokesman — who gave his name as Majed — said many of the shootings occur when people run beyond the limits of the safe route in an attempt to get to the distribution site faster. Even if they're not wounded or killed, many go home empty-handed, said Jassim, a 28-year-old logistics worker hired by a local contractor working with the foundation. 'Decent people, especially the elderly and women with children, can't fight through the crowds,' he said. He added that gangs also stalk people leaving the delivery area, looking to rob them and sell the precious supplies on the black market. 'Many of them carry knives. It's like a trap, and I see many people killed.' When Al-Shaqra regained consciousness, he found himself in Nasser Hospital, waiting for surgery in rooms already overflowing with other casualties from that day's attacks at the aid hub. Among them was his father, Wadee al-Shaqra, who was injured by a bullet that tore through the side of his abdomen. He lost track of his son after he was shot, but found him hours later, by coincidence, in one of a few tents set up near Nasser Hospital for convalescing patients. 'I thought he was killed. I was so happy to see him I didn't ask if he got any food. I didn't care,' the father said. He added that he and his son went to the hubs despite the danger because they didn't have enough bread to share among his grandchildren. 'We're supposed to protect them,' he said. "We're risking our lives just to keep them from starving.' The foundation says its efforts have been a success, touting its delivery of almost 26 million 'meals' in the 22 days since it started operations. But with almost half a million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger and the entire population contending with acute food security, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the deliveries amount to roughly 0.6 meals per person. The foundation does not elaborate on how it defines a meal, but it previously stated that it calculated daily rations at 1,750 calories, well below the 2,200 calories target used by humanitarian aid organizations. (Majed said recent aid deliveries provide 2,500-calorie provisions.) The bedlam accompanying the group's distribution practices, aid workers say, was entirely predictable. 'Delivery of humanitarian aid can be a very straightforward operation, but it's a complex one,' said Juliette Touma, communications director for the U.N. agency for Palestinians, UNRWA. She added that UNRWA and other groups have decades of experience serving Palestinians, with comprehensive registry lists and an orderly distribution system that assigns appointments at conveniently placed centers. The foundation aid, comprising mostly dry goods such as pasta or lentils, requires gas and water to cook, both of which are hard to procure in Gaza. The aid also does not include hygiene and cleaning supplies, she said — an essential requirement. 'There's this sheer arrogance that the U.N. and humanitarians can be replaced — just like that — by a third party, a private security company. It's not at all like that,' she said. 'Let us do our job.' Read more: More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, Gaza health officials say Saleem al-Najili, a 33-year-old nurse at the UK-Med field hospital in Deir al Balah, now dreads aid delivery times. 'Every time the GHF center opens its doors, I know what's coming,' he said. 'It means more blood and screaming, more impossible decisions on whom we can treat. And fewer people we can actually save.' Shbeir, a Times special correspondent, reported from Deir al Balah. Staff writer Bulos reported from Beirut. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Health
- Al Jazeera
Israel kills 23 Palestinians in Gaza, half of them while trying to get aid
Israeli forces have killed 23 Palestinians across Gaza, with at least 11 of them while they were trying to get food at aid sites operated by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local authorities have said. Medics at al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza on Sunday told Al Jazeera that at least three people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire as they tried to approach a GHF site near the so-called Netzarim Corridor. Two others were killed and more than 50 injured in a shooting at starving Palestinians near the GHF aid point in Rafah's al-Mawasi area. The dead and the wounded were taken to the nearby Red Cross Hospital, according to medics. Also, multiple Israeli air raids since dawn on Sunday killed at least 12 Palestinians in southern Gaza. Seven others were killed when an Israeli strike targeted a group of people in Beit Lahiya town in the north of the enclave, medics said. Alarming levels of hunger have driven people to the few food distribution points in Gaza, but Israeli forces have responded with sniper fire and bombings. Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in near-daily mass shootings, with the GHF accused of weaponising aid. On Saturday, at least 79 Palestinians were killed, many of them while seeking aid. Medics at al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near Netzarim Corridor. There has been no comment from the Israeli military regarding Sunday's attacks. The GHF began distributing aid in Gaza at the end of May after Israel partially lifted a three-month total blockade of food, medicines and other essential items. Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said Palestinians are starting to see GHF distribution hubs as 'execution sites', considering the repeated attacks there. The GHF said its aid sites were closed on Saturday. But witnesses said thousands of people had gathered near the sites anyway, desperate for food as Israel's punishing blockade and military campaign have driven the territory to the brink of famine. Earlier this month, operations at the group's aid distribution hubs were also temporarily halted following several incidents of deadly violence, in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers. The Gaza Ministry of Health said in a statement on Saturday that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza. The Israeli military has admitted to shooting at aid seekers, but claimed it opened fire only when 'suspects' deviated from a stipulated route to the GHF distribution site. Hamas, which rejects Israeli charges that it steals aid, has accused Israel of 'employing hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid distribution sites into traps of mass deaths of innocent civilians'. The United Nations has also labelled the GHF aid distribution as inadequate, dangerous, and a violation of humanitarian principles. 'GHF, I think it's fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure,' Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told reporters in Geneva on Friday. 'They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people where they are, in a safe and secure manner.' Israel's war on Gaza has killed nearly 55,300 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and has flattened much of the densely populated Strip, home to more than two million people, most of whom are displaced and facing acute hunger.
Daily Mail
14-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
At least 15 Palestinians shot dead after new flashpoint near Gaza aid distribution centre
At least 15 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire near an aid centre in central Gaza, doctors said last night. Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals said the victims were approaching the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) yesterday when they were shot. The Israeli army said soldiers opened fire to 'neutralise the threat' posed when a man continued to move towards troops and ignored their warning shots. Last week, the army warned Palestinians not to approach roads to GHF sites between 6pm and 6am, describing the routes as closed military zones. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May after Israel partially lifted a near three-month blockade. But aid remains in short supply, and has made the humanitarian situation in Gaza desperate. Scores of Palestinians have been killed in near daily shootings as they try to get food. The UN says the Israel-backed GHF violates humanitarian impartiality and is inadequate and dangerous. Gaza's health ministry said at least 274 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations. Hamas, which denies claims that it steals aid, said Israel was using 'hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid distribution sites into traps of mass deaths'. In another incident yesterday, health officials at Shifa Hospital in Gaza said Israeli fire killed at least 12 Palestinians gathering to wait for aid trucks along the coastal road north of the strip. The Israeli military ordered residents of Khan Younis and the nearby towns of Abassan and Bani Suhaila in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and go to a so-called humanitarian zone, saying it was tackling 'terror organisations' in the area. Neither Israel nor Hamas seems willing to back down on core demands to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal.
Arab News
14-06-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Israeli fire and airstrikes kill 35 in Gaza
GAZA: Israeli fire and airstrikes killed at least 35 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, most of them near an aid distribution site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said. Medics at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza areas, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the Netzarim corridor. The rest were killed in separate attacks across the enclave, they added. The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations. There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli military or the GHF on Saturday's incidents. The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the UN says is neither impartial nor neutral. The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that at least 274 people have so far been killed, and more than 2,000 wounded, near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations in Gaza. Hamas, which denies Israeli charges that it steals aid, accused Israel of 'employing hunger as a weapon of war and turning aid distribution sites into traps of mass deaths of innocent civilians.' Later on Saturday, health officials at Shifa Hospital in Gaza said Israeli fire killed at least 12 Palestinians, who gathered to wait for aid trucks along the coastal road north of the strip, taking Saturday's death toll to at least 35. The Israeli military ordered residents of Khan Younis and the nearby towns of Abassan and Bani Suhaila in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and head west toward the so-called humanitarian zone, saying it would forcefully work against 'terror organizations' in the area. The war in Gaza erupted 20 months ago after militants raided Israel and took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than 2 million people. Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is widespread. Despite efforts by the US, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Israel kills at least 58 people in Gaza, many at US-backed aid site: Medics
Israeli fire and air strikes have killed at least 58 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, most of them near an aid distribution site operated by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to local health authorities, the latest deaths of people desperately seeking food for their hungry families. Medics at al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals in central Gaza, where most of the casualties were moved to, said at least 15 people were killed on Saturday as they tried to approach the GHF aid distribution site near the so-called Netzarim Corridor. The rest were killed in separate attacks across the besieged and bombarded enclave, they added. Since the GHF started operations last month, at least 274 people have been killed and more than 2,000 wounded near aid distribution sites, according to a statement by the Gaza Ministry of Health. The GHF said they were closed on Saturday. But witnesses said thousands of people had gathered near the sites anyway, desperate for food as Israel's punishing 15-week blockade and military campaign have driven the territory to the brink of famine. Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Palestinians are starting to see GHF distribution hubs as 'execution sites,' considering the repeated attacks there. But people in Gaza 'have run out of options, and they are forced to travel to these dangerous humanitarian spaces to get aid'. Israel imposed a full humanitarian blockade on Gaza on March 2 for 11 weeks, cutting off food, medical supplies and other aid. It began allowing small amounts of aid into the enclave in late May following international pressure, but humanitarian organisations say it is only a tiny fraction of the aid that is needed. There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli military or the GHF on Saturday's incidents. The GHF – a United States and Israel-backed organisation led by Johnnie Moore, an evangelical Christian who advised US President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign – began distributing food packages in Gaza on May 27, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. Israel and the United States say the new system is intended to replace the UN-run network. They have accused Hamas, without providing evidence, of siphoning off the UN-provided aid and reselling it to fund its military activities. Israel has also admitted to backing armed gangs in Gaza, known for criminal activities, to undermine Hamas. These groups have been blamed for looting aid. UN officials deny Hamas has diverted significant amounts of aid and say the new system is unable to meet mounting needs. They say it has militarised aid by allowing Israel to decide who has access and by forcing Palestinians to travel long distances or relocate again after waves of displacement. Later on Saturday, the Israeli military ordered residents of Khan Younis and the nearby towns of Abasan and Bani Suheila in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes and head west towards the so-called humanitarian zone area, saying it would forcefully work against 'terror organizations' in the area. More than 80 percent of the Gaza Strip is now within the Israeli-militarised zone, under forced displacement orders, or where these overlap, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UN estimates that nearly 665,000 people have been displaced yet again since Israel broke the ceasefire in February. Israel's war on Gaza and its population has killed more than 55,290 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated Strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced and malnutrition is widespread. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, including that Israel implement a permanent ceasefire and not restart the war.
