A video circulating online captures hundreds of Palestinians scrambling over a massive pile of dirt, with some scaling a metal fence, in a bid to access an aid site in Gaza operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Initially, Palestinians are seen waiting behind a fence, before an off-camera voice with an American accent directs them. The BBC verified the video’s location as the SDS1 distribution site, west of Rafah, with the footage reportedly from Tuesday.
The GHF, backed by Israel and the US, aims to deliver aid independently of the UN, which has refused to collaborate due to concerns over the violation of humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence. Comment from the GHF was sought by the BBC.
The video was shared by Alon Lee-Green, an Israeli anti-war activist, allegedly obtained from an employee of “the American company in Gaza,” which may refer to GHF or one of its private security contractors that manage the aid sites. Lee-Green described the scene as “apocalyptic,” stressing that it is no disaster movie but a reality created by the situation in Gaza, where starving individuals risk their lives for food.
Israel, which restricts international news organizations like the BBC from entering Gaza, making it challenging to verify the situation on the ground. Since the GHF started its aid distribution on May 26, there have been multiple incidents of Palestinians being killed while attempting to access the aid distribution areas, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, which reported 223 deaths and 1,858 injuries.
The US and Israel claim that the GHF’s system prevents aid theft by Hamas, which the group denies. On Wednesday, six more individuals were reportedly killed by Israeli fire near a GHF site in Rafah. The Israeli military is investigating these reports.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinians, criticized the system as a “day of death traps” following aid-related killings on Tuesday. The Israeli military initiated its campaign in Gaza after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in about 1,200 deaths and 251 individuals taken hostage. The health ministry in Gaza reports at least 55,104 deaths since then.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8xgzj5ln5do
