GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Gaza’s civil defense agency said on Saturday that Israeli fire killed 39 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers, in the latest deaths of
Gaza’s civil defense agency said on Saturday that Israeli fire killed 39 people and wounded more than 100 near two aid centers, in the latest deaths of Palestinians seeking food.
Deaths of people waiting for handouts in huge crowds near food points in Gaza have become a regular occurrence, with the territory’s authorities frequently blaming Israeli fire.
But the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which has replaced UN agencies as the main distributor of aid in the territory, has accused militant group Hamas of fomenting unrest and shooting at civilians.
Civil defense agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the deaths happened near a site southwest of Khan Yunis and another centre northwest of Rafah, both in southern Gaza, attributing the fatalities to “Israeli gunfire.”
One witness said he headed to the Al-Tina area of Khan Yunis before dawn with five of his relatives to try to get food when “Israeli soldiers” started shooting.
“My relatives and I were unable to get anything,” Abdul Aziz Abed, 37, told AFP. “Every day I go there and all we get is bullets and exhaustion instead of food.”
Three other witnesses also accused troops of opening fire.
In response, the Israeli military said it “identified suspects who approached them during operational activity in the Rafah area, posing a threat to the troops.
