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Join on Telegram Rabat – The United Nations and several aid groups have strongly condemned Israel’s killing of dozens of Palestinians near an aid distribution center in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
According to Gaza’s civil defence, Israeli gunfire killed at least 31 people and injured 176 others as they were trying to get food.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the deaths and called for an “immediate and independent investigation” to find out what really happened. “It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said, without blaming Israel for the deaths.
The deaths happened near a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new aid group supported by the United States. The GHF was recently set up as a new way to deliver aid, working directly with Israeli forces but without the involvement of the UN.
The UN and other aid agencies have refused to work with the GHF, raising concerns about its neutrality and its links to Israeli goals.
Eyewitnesses blame Israel
Sameh Hamuda, a 33-year-old eyewitness, told AFP that “quadcopter drones opened fire on the people, and tanks started shooting.” Another witness, Abdullah Barbakh, 58, said the same: “The army opened fire from drones and tanks.”
Photos taken at the scene showed Palestinians carrying away the dead, while hospitals in the area struggled to treat the high number of gunshot wounds.
But Israeli forces denied responsibility. In a statement, it said an initial investigation showed “troops did not fire at civilians near or inside the aid site.”
A spokesperson accused Hamas of spreading lies to damage Israel’s image, adding that Israel would look into all accusations.
The GHF also denied that any deaths or injuries had occurred at their aid site, calling the reports “fake news actively spread by Hamas.”
This tragedy comes as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens, with aid deliveries blocked for over two months. Though limited aid has started to enter again, the UN warns that famine could soon affect the entire population of Gaza.
