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Israeli soldiers killed 45 Palestinians who had gathered in the hope of receiving aid near Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis, according to the local health ministry, in the latest of a string of shootings of people seeking food amid starvation conditions in the enclave.
Thousands of people were expecting trucks to arrive at the Tahlia roundabout when soldiers opened fire, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It was not clear which organisation any trucks belonged to, and whether deliveries were in fact scheduled to arrive.
Israel has imposed a tight siege on Gaza, blocking all aid deliveries for three months, although in recent weeks it has allowed a trickle of supplies from the UN and other groups.
The UN has been almost entirely replaced as a conduit for aid by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a previously unknown private group backed by Israel and the US.
Israel’s military said its soldiers had opened fire at a gathering of people next to an aid distribution truck that got stuck in the area of Khan Younis, and in proximity to Israel Defense Forces troops operating in the area.
“The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd’s approach. The details of the incident are under review,” it said.
Killings of Palestinians heading to GHF sites to collect food have become a near-daily occurrence since the start of the new aid programme at the end of May. Tuesday’s killings come a day after the ministry said Israeli forces killed 34 Palestinians trying to access food at GHF sites near Rafah in the south of the enclave and in the centre of the strip.
UN agencies say the population of the Gaza Strip is on the edge of famine, and thousands of children are already severely malnourished. The restrictions on aid entering Gaza, which have been condemned by humanitarian groups and even some of Israel’s allies, have continued since Israel launched an attack on Iran on Friday.
Gaza’s health ministry said the attack on Tuesday had injured hundreds of people, in addition to the death toll, which was an initial count and could rise.
A total of some 338 people had already been killed trying to reach the GHF food centres as of Monday, according to a toll published by the Gaza health ministry. The centres have been open for less than three weeks.
Monday’s shooting in southern Gaza is reported to have taken place at Alam Roundabout, the last point where thousands of starving Palestinians who have marched for hours overnight congregate before the GHF food centre opens, ready to rush in to try to secure a box before the aid runs out.
The IDF said its soldiers had opened fire on Monday after people approached them in a way they deemed threatening, and that the shooting had taken place in an area it classified as a combat zone.
The GHF scheme, which started in late May, has been cast by its US and Israeli backers as an alternative to the long-standing aid system run by UN agencies and other non-governmental groups.
The UN has condemned the scheme as a system that “weaponised” badly needed aid to force the displacement of Gazans to the south of the strip, and has refused to co-operate with GHF. The scheme is run by private contractors with armed guards in areas secured by the Israeli military.
GHF said last week that their aid was getting delivered securely and that “instead of bickering . . . they [the UN] need to get in the game. We are ready to collaborate and help them get their aid to people in need”.
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