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Following the opening fire by Israeli forces near two aid sites, at least 10 people lost their lives as hungry Palestinians attempted to acquire food. This occurred on Saturday, as reported by witnesses and health workers.
The violence followed a visit by US officials to the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site the previous day, where US ambassador Steve Witkoff termed the system “an incredible feat.”
These recent deaths occur nearly seven days after Israel, under international pressure due to growing scenes of starving children, declared limited humanitarian pauses and airdrops to deliver more food to Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants, who are largely reliant on aid after nearly 22 months of war.
However, the United Nations, its partners, and Palestinians allege that insufficient aid is arriving. Months’ worth of supplies are piled up outside Gaza, awaiting Israeli approval.
Although the UN estimates that 500 to 600 trucks of aid are necessary daily, most of the trucks entering are depleted of supplies by desperate individuals and criminal groups before they reach the warehouses for distribution.
On Saturday, Gaza’s health ministry reported that seven Palestinians had died from malnutrition-related causes over the past 24 hours, including a child.
Further Casualties Near US-Backed GHF Sites
Near the northernmost GHF distribution site close to the Netzarim corridor, Yahia Youssef described a harshly familiar scenario after coming to seek aid. He assisted in carrying three people wounded by gunshots and saw others on the ground, bleeding.
“It’s the same daily episode,” Youssef remarked. According to health workers, at least eight people were killed. Israel’s military claimed it fired warning shots at a gathering nearing its forces.
In the Shakoush area, hundreds of meters from where GHF operates in the southernmost city of Rafah, at least two individuals perished. Witnesses stated that Israeli troops opened fire on crowds. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received two bodies and many injured.
Witness Mohamed Abu Taha reported seeing Israeli troops fire on the crowds, resulting in the deaths of three individuals as he fled.
However, Israel’s military claimed no awareness of any firing by its forces in the area, and GHF reported no incidents at its sites.
GHF contends its armed contractors have used only pepper spray or warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. Recently, Israel’s military stated it was working to ensure safer routes under its control.
GHF, backed by millions of dollars in US support, was launched in May as Israel pursued an alternative to the UN-run system, which had safely delivered aid for much of the war but was accused by Israel of Hamas siphoning off supplies. No evidence has been provided by Israel to support this claim, and the UN denies it.
According to a UN report, 859 people were killed near GHF sites between May 27 and July 31. Hundreds more were killed on the routes of UN-led food convoys. Initially, Hamas-led police guarded these convoys, but Israeli fire targeted the officers.
Israel and GHF maintain the situation’s toll is exaggerated.
Hostage Families Push for Deal
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with hostages’ families on Saturday, a week after he resigned from ceasefire talks, blaming Hamas’ intransigence.
Accompanying US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Witkoff visited the GHF’s assistance delivery station in the southern city of Rafah, one of only three such sites in the blockaded region.
According to The Washington Post, Witkoff stated that the country had formulated a plan to release all the remaining hostages. Trump now feels that everyone should return at once, with no piecemeal deals, as declared by Witkoff during a recorded conversation shown on Israeli television.
“He didn’t reveal anything new to me,” stated Michel Illouz, father of Israeli hostage Guy Illouz. “We didn’t hear anything practical, but I heard that the Americans were urging us to halt this operation.” He claimed to have received no responses when he requested Witkoff to establish a deadline.
Protesters from hostages’ families gathered at the hostages square in Tel Aviv, urging the Israeli government to make a deal to end the war, pleading for them to “stop this nightmare and free them from the tunnels.”
Witkoff stated that US authorities want half of the remaining 20 hostages freed on the first day of a cease-fire, with the rest to follow shortly after. It is believed that 20 of the 50 hostages are dead.
