The organization responsible for delivering food aid in Gaza suspended operations at its distribution centers following a series of fatal incidents near aid sites, raising concerns about the safety of humanitarian assistance delivery in the coming weeks.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private group backed by Israel and the United States, announced on social media that centers would be “closed for update, organization, and efficiency improvement work.”
On Thursday, the organization revealed that two of its aid centers were open, while two other hubs remained closed. Over 1.4 million meals were distributed on the day, across the two centers, according to the GHF. However, on Friday, June 6, the GHF announced that all aid hubs would once again be closed for the day, warning people to stay away from sites for their safety.
The circumstances surrounding the closure of aid centers are as follows:
Deaths at Gaza aid distribution hubs occurred after Palestinians collecting aid from hubs have been killed. On Sunday, June 1, 31 Palestinians were killed at an aid hub, according to Reuters and the Associated Press, citing Gaza’s Health Ministry and witnesses, after Israeli soldiers opened fire near crowds.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that it “did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false.”
CNN reported that sound and video of gunfire from the site were consistent with that of weapons used by the IDF, and that the rate of fire “appears to rule out” weapons used by Hamas. Pictures of bullets from the scene were also consistent with machine guns used by the IDF, as they can be mounted on tanks, according to the news outlet.
Weapons experts told the BBC that both the IDF and armed Palestinian groups have access to weapons that use these types of rounds. In a post by the GHF, civilians were warned that Israeli troops were operating in the area surrounding the aid hub at the time of the shooting, and that it was prohibited to enter before 5 a.m.
On Monday, June 2, three Palestinians were killed at the same location as Sunday’s killings, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the BBC.
The United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the incidents, calling for “a prompt and impartial investigation into each of these attacks” and adding that those responsible must be “held to account.”
Source: https://time.com/7291862/gaza-israel-aid-shooting/
