Gaza (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Local health officials said that Israeli fire at a food delivery facility in the southern Gaza Strip killed at least 27 Palestinians and injured scores more on Tuesday, marking the third day of violence and mayhem to impact the humanitarian effort.
According to a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, its field hospital in Rafah treated 184 casualties. Of those, 19 were pronounced dead on arrival, and eight more died of their injuries shortly after. The spokesperson also noted that over 35 patients needed urgent medical attention.
Why did Israeli forces open fire near Rafah?
Israel’s military stated that its forces had fired on a group of people who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah. The military said it was still looking into what happened.
Hours earlier, Israel had announced that three of its soldiers were killed in fighting in northern Gaza, as its forces continued their months-long push against Hamas militants that has devastated much of the area.
Why is the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facing criticism?
US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation opened its first distribution sites last week in a bid to ease widespread hunger among Gaza’s war-ravaged population, most of whom have been forced to leave their homes to escape the fighting.
There’s been fierce criticism from the UN and established charities over the Foundation’s aid plan, which skips traditional aid groups, claiming it doesn’t follow humanitarian principles.
According to the foundation supported by Israel, 21 truckloads of food were delivered early on Tuesday. The group said the operation was conducted securely and incident-free on the property. However, when people congregate to obtain much-needed supplies, there have been allegations of recurring murders close to Rafah.
International and Palestinian officials said at least 31 people were murdered and scores more injured on Sunday. Israeli fire reportedly killed three additional Palestinians on Monday.
Are IDF rules of engagement worsening Gaza’s hunger crisis?
Reports of casualties during Sunday’s distribution were referred to as “fabrications” by Hamas, while the Israeli military denied striking people gathered for supplies. It stated on Tuesday that IDF officers had spotted “a number of suspects” heading their way while veering off the access routes. “The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces,” added the statement.
