CAIRO: Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens of others near an aid distribution site operated by the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said on Monday (Jun 2).
The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of casualties and the incident was being thoroughly looked into.
It said in a statement that troops operating overnight in Rafah, which is under full Israeli military control, in the southern Gaza Strip, had fired warning shots “to prevent several suspects approaching them”, adding the incident took place about 1km away from the aid distribution site.
The GHF, a private group sponsored by the United States and endorsed by Israel, said there had been no fatalities or injuries at its distribution site or the surrounding area.
Reuters could not independently verify what took place.
The reported incident was the latest in a series underscoring the volatile security situation that has complicated aid delivery to Gaza, following the easing last month of an almost three-month Israeli blockade.
On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens wounded near the same site, one of four operated by the GHF in Rafah.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was appalled by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza on Sunday, and called for an independent investigation.
The Israeli military denied firing at people gathering to collect aid, and the GHF said Sunday’s distribution was carried out without incident, describing reports of deaths as fabricated by Hamas.
In a separate statement, the Israeli military said that in the past day, its forces expanded ground operations in the Gaza Strip, killed gunmen, and dismantled weapons storage facilities and military infrastructure above and under the ground.
Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli strikes across the enclave had killed 51 people and wounded 500 others in the past 24 hours. Local health authorities said at least 16 of those were killed at a house in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, earlier on Monday.
RISK OF FAMINE
The GHF said Monday’s deliveries raised the number of meals it has distributed since it began operations to nearly 6 million.
The United Nations has said most of Gaza’s 2 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid entering the strip.
The GHF launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more.
Its aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the UN and humanitarian organisations, which say the GHF does not follow humanitarian principles.
The Palestinian NGOs Network urged a boycott of what it called the “US-Israeli aid mechanism” in protest over the killings on Sunday.
