DayofPal– At least 10 Palestinians have been killed and more than 60 injured over the past 48 hours after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathering for humanitarian aid in southern Gaza, according to the enclave’s Government Media Office.
The attacks occurred near a distribution point operated by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a United States-backed organization whose involvement in aid delivery has drawn harsh criticism from humanitarian agencies and United Nations officials.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Gaza Government Media Office accused Israeli forces of “directly targeting hungry Palestinian civilians” who had gathered to receive food and supplies at the GHF’s site in Rafah.
While the exact timeline and number of separate shooting incidents remain unclear, casualties were reported on both days.
“These locations were transformed into death traps under the occupation’s gunfire,” the statement read, calling the shootings a “heinous crime.”
The disturbing scenes come just a day after footage circulated widely online showing thousands of desperate Palestinians corralled into cage-like lines as they clamored for aid at the GHF distribution centre.
The GHF, which on Wednesday opened its second of four planned aid centres across Gaza, has faced growing scrutiny over its role in the besieged enclave.
The aid delivery model has been roundly condemned by UN officials and members of the humanitarian community, who argue that effective and secure aid distribution could resume if Israel lifted restrictions and allowed seasoned humanitarian agencies to manage the effort.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), labelled the GHF operation a “distraction from atrocities” and called for Israel to enable the UN’s established aid system to resume its “life-saving work.”
Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting in New York, diplomats from Algeria, France, and the United Kingdom echoed that plea, urging Israel to lift restrictions on aid access and allow unimpeded humanitarian deliveries into Gaza.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, accused Israel of weaponizing aid, stating that it was being used as “a tool of war.”
Al Jazeera’s UN correspondent Kristen Saloomey reported that Sigrid Kaag, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and Feroze Sidhwa, a surgeon who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in Gaza, also briefed the council.
Both called urgently for a ceasefire and the restoration of full humanitarian operations.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, pushed back on the criticism, accusing the UN of obstructing aid efforts and demanding a retraction from UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher for previously accusing Israel of committing genocide.
The Gaza Strip, home to over two million Palestinians, remains under severe humanitarian strain amid ongoing attacks, with food, water, and medical aid in critically short supply.
The UN and aid organizations have repeatedly warned that without immediate and unrestricted access, famine and mass civilian casualties are imminent.
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