Israeli strike at Gaza market kills 18 Palestinians, doctor and witnesses say

12 hours ago Share Save Rushdi Abualouf Gaza Correspondent Share Save

Reuters People mourn Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah

At least 18 Palestinians have been killed after an Israeli drone strike targeted a Hamas police unit attempting to assert control over a market in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a doctor and eyewitnesses told the BBC. Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones fired at members of a Hamas police force, dressed in civilian clothing and wearing masks, who were confronting vendors they accused of price gouging and selling goods looted from aid trucks. The Hamas-run Ministry of Interior condemned the strike, accusing Israel of committing “a new crime against a police unit tasked with maintaining public order”. The BBC has contacted the Israeli military for comment.

One eyewitness told the BBC clashes broke out on Thursday after police confronted the vendors, with the unit commander shouting: “Either sell at a fair price or we will confiscate the goods.” Some of the vendors then “pulled out handguns and one man had a Kalashnikov”, the eyewitness said. Israeli drones then fired two missiles, local residents said. Video footage from the aftermath shows bodies strewn on the ground and panicked shoppers screaming, as ambulances rush to attend to those injured. A doctor at Deir al-Balah’s Al-Aqsa Hospital told the BBC 18 bodies were brought to the morgue there. It was not immediately clear how many of those killed were police officers.

Reuters A person is brought to Al-Aqsa hospital following an Israeli strike in Deir al-Balah

The incident came as civilians in Gaza continued to struggle to access food, with near daily shootings reported at and around US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution sites in south and central Gaza, and the limited goods available in markets selling for highly inflated prices. The GHF – which has been accused of violating humanitarian principles by international aid groups – received a further $30m in funding on Thursday from the US, which has supported Israeli efforts to see it become the largest aid organisation in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday accused Hamas of “once again taking control of humanitarian aid… and stealing it from civilians” in northern Gaza, as he gave the military two days to devise an “action plan” to prevent this. It came after video footage was filmed on Wednesday of a truck convoy carrying aid into northern Gaza, after entering through the Zikim gate, with armed and masked men on top. Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir shared the video on social media, saying Hamas was “taking control of the food and goods” and calling on Netanyahu to halt the entry of aid into Gaza. Hamas has denied stealing or profiting from aid, and Gaza’s higher committee for tribal affairs – a non-Hamas affiliated committee created during the war – also dismissed Israel’s “false claims” in a statement on Thursday. “The securing of aid has been carried out purely through tribal efforts,” it said. At a warehouse in Gaza City on Thursday, thousands of aid parcels were distributed. Hamas political officials were present but said their role was “supervisory”, with an NGO in charge of distributing some 6,000 food parcels. “This morning, when I woke up to the message telling me to go get aid, all my children, young and old, started singing and dancing with joy. I pray to God that this blessing remains with us,” one woman waiting for food there said.

UN condemns Gaza aid ‘death trap’ as dozens reported killed by Israeli fire

3 days ago Share Save Yolande Knell Middle East correspondent Share Save

AFP There were chaotic scenes as men with gunshot wounds were brought to al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat

At least 46 people waiting for aid have been killed by Israeli fire in two incidents in central and southern Gaza, according to rescuers and hospitals. UN agencies have condemned the US and Israel-backed food distribution system, with one official calling it “an abomination” and “a death trap”. Such deadly incidents have recently become a near daily occurrence but have attracted relatively little attention outside Gaza since Israel attacked Iran more than a week ago. Without including the latest deaths, the UN has said that more than 410 Palestinians are reported to have been killed by Israeli gunfire or shelling since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began work in late May.

“Why are our children’s lives seen as so cheap?” demanded Umm Raed al-Nuaizi, a widow whose son was shot and wounded after he went overnight to collect food for his hungry family in central Gaza. “My son went to get a grain of flour so that he could eat and feed his siblings, and now he is in the intensive care unit.”

Umm Raed al-Nuaizi’s son was shot and wounded after he went to collect food

Footage from al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat showed chaotic scenes as young men with gunshot wounds were carried in, groaning in pain and some drenched in blood. Soon every bed was filled, and casualties covered the floor. An older man was set down dead as his wife, bereft, cradled his face and wept. Hospital officials and the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said that at least 21 people were killed and some 150 injured. Witnesses said that thousands had crowded near a site run by the GHF in an Israeli military zone when soldiers opened fire. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a gathering had been “identified in an area adjacent to IDF troops operating in the Netzarim corridor”. “Reports of injured individuals as a result of IDF fire in the area were received. The details are under review,” it stated. The GHF said there were “no incidents near any of our sites this morning”.

AFP Some men were pictured returning to Nuseirat with bags of food aid overnight

Paramedics and rescuers said that at least 25 people were also killed near a site run by the GHF in southern Gaza on Tuesday morning. A witness told the BBC that he had gone to a site north of Rafah at 05:00, but shortly before it was due to open at 10:00, Israeli tanks advanced towards them and opened fire with no announcements. “The shooting was directly on the civilians and blood got everywhere,” Hatem Abu Rjileh said. “Everyone around us got wounded, there may be more than 30 wounded whom no-one was able to rescue. We only managed to rescue our relative and left with him.” The IDF told the BBC that “contrary to the reports being spread out, the IDF is not aware of the incident in question at the Rafah aid distribution site”.

Israel eased its total blockade of Gaza just over a month ago, and the GHF began operations a few days later. The group says it has since provided 41 million meals. While GHF is officially classed as a private organisation, it has opaque funding and is backed by the US and Israel. It uses armed private security contractors. The UN and major aid groups have refused to co-operate with the foundation, accusing it of co-operating with Israel’s goals in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. However, Israel sees the GHF as key to a new aid plan which it says will undermine what remains of Hamas control in Gaza.

Reuters People desperate for aid have also taken to gathering along aid convoy routes

As news of the latest incidents broke, a spokesman for the UN human rights office, Thameen al-Kheetan, held a briefing in Geneva condemning the system. “Israel’s militarised humanitarian assistance mechanism is in contradiction with international standards on aid distribution,” he said. “The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services constitutes a war crime.” He added that it was for courts to decide if war crimes had been committed. Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa), said: “The newly created, so-called mechanism is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people. It is a death trap costing more lives than it saves.” Asked for a response to recent UN criticism, the IDF told the BBC that it allowed the GHF “to operate independently in distributing aid to the residents of Gaza and is working to ensure its safe and continuous distribution, in accordance with international law”.

Reuters More than 410 Palestinians are reported to have been killed by Israeli gunfire or shelling while trying to reach aid distribution points since late May

Israeli forces have killed at least 40 people in Gaza since the Iran-Israel ceasefire was reached, according to local doctors and residents.

Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire as thousands of Palestinians gathered near a food distribution center in Gaza that is supported by Israel and the US.

At least 19 people were killed, according to a local hospital and the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.

The Israeli military said an overnight gathering was identified adjacent to forces operating in Gaza’s central Netzarim corridor and was examining reports of casualties.

The aid center says there have been no incidents near their site, which, they say, is located several kilometers from the Netzarim Corridor.

10 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, while 11 were killed by Israeli gunfire in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to medics.

Israel says militants use residential areas for operational cover. Hamas denies this. /Telegraph/

Deir al-Balah, June 27: An Israeli strike hit a street in central Gaza on Thursday where witnesses said a crowd of people was getting bags of flour from a Palestinian police unit that had confiscated the goods from gangs looting aid convoys. Hospital officials said 18 people were killed. The strike was the latest violence surrounding the distribution of food to Gaza’s population, which has been thrown into turmoil over the past month. After blocking all food for 2 1/2 months, Israel has allowed only a trickle of supplies into the territory since mid-May.

Efforts by the United Nations to distribute the food have been plagued by armed gangs looting trucks and by crowds of desperate people offloading supplies from convoys. The strike in the central town of Deir al-Balah on Thursday appeared to target members of Sahm, a security unit tasked with stopping looters and cracking down on merchants who sell stolen aid at high prices. The unit is part of Gaza’s Hamas-led Interior Ministry, but includes members of other factions. Doctors, Moms Say Babies in Gaza May Die Without More Formula, Blame Israel’s Blockade.

A horrific scene

Witnesses said the Sahm unit was distributing bags of flour and other goods confiscated from looters and corrupt merchants, drawing a crowd when the strike hit. Video of the aftermath showed bodies, several torn, of multiple young men in the street with blood splattering on the pavement and walls of buildings. The dead included a child and at least seven Sahmt members, according to the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where casualties were taken.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Israel has accused the militant Hamas group of stealing aid and using it to prop up its rule in the enclave. Israeli forces have repeatedly struck Gaza’s police, considering them a branch of Hamas. An association of Gaza’s influential clans and tribes said Wednesday they have started an independent effort to guard aid convoys to prevent looting. The National Gathering of Palestinian Clans and Tribes said it helped escort a rare shipment of flour that entered northern Gaza that evening.

It was unclear, however, if the association had coordinated with the UN or Israeli authorities. The World Food Programme did not immediately respond to requests for comment by The Associated Press. “We will no longer allow thieves to steal from the convoys for the merchants and force us to buy them for high prices,” Abu Ahmad al-Gharbawi, a figure involved in the tribal effort, told the AP. ‘India Must Speak Clearly’: Sonia Gandhi Calls India’s Silence on Israeli Attacks on Iran, Gaza a ‘Surrender of Values’.

Accusations from Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz in a joint statement Wednesday accused Hamas of stealing aid that is entering northern Gaza, and called on the Israeli military to plan to prevent it. The National Gathering slammed the statement, saying the accusation of theft was aimed at justifying the Israeli military’s “aggressive practices.” It said aid was “fully secured” by the tribes, which it said were committed to delivering the supplies to the population.

The move by tribes to protect aid convoys brings yet another player in an aid situation that has become fragmented, confused and violent, even as Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians struggle to feed their families. Throughout the more than 20-month-old war, the UN led the massive aid operation by humanitarian groups providing food, shelter, medicine and other goods to Palestinians even amid the fighting. UN and other aid groups say that when significant amounts of supplies are allowed into Gaza, looting and theft dwindles.

Israel, however, seeks to replace the UN-led system, saying Hamas has been siphoning off large amounts of supplies from it, a claim the UN and other aid groups deny. Israel has backed an American private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has started distributing food boxes at four locations, mainly in the far south of Gaza for the past month. Thousands of Palestinians walk for hours to reach the hubs, moving through Israeli military zones where witnesses say Israeli troops regularly open fire with heavy barrages to control the crowds.

Health officials say hundreds of people have been killed and wounded. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots.

A trickle of aid

Israel has continued to allow a smaller number of aid trucks into Gaza for UN distribution. The World Health Organisation said on Thursday it had been able to deliver its first medical shipment into Gaza since March 2, with nine trucks bringing blood, plasma and other supplies to Nasser Hospital, the biggest hospital still functioning in southern Gaza. In Gaza City, large crowds gathered Thursday at an aid distribution point to receive bags of flour from the convoy that arrived the previous evening, according to photos taken by a cameraman collaborating with the AP.

Hiba Khalil, a mother of seven, said she can’t afford looted aid that is sold in markets for astronomical prices and was relieved to get flour for the first time in months. “We’ve waited for months without having flour or eating much and our children would always cry,” she said. Another woman, Umm Alaa Mekdad, said she hoped more convoys would make it through after struggling to deal with looters. “The gangs used to take our shares and the shares of our children who slept hungry and thirsty,” she said.

Separately, Israeli strikes overnight and early Thursday killed at least 28 people across the Gaza Strip, according to the territory’s Health Ministry. More than 20 dead arrived at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, while the bodies of eight others were taken to Nasser Hospital in the south.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

Freed activist says Trump administration failed to suppress pro-Palestinian voices

Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil calls his release a message to Trump

The US government wants to deport him, arguing his activism is detrimental to foreign policy interests.

Mr Khalil was a prominent voice in the New York university’s pro-Palestinian protests last year, and his 8 March arrest sparked demonstrations in New York and Washington DC.

“My existence is a message” to the Trump administration, he told the BBC after returning to New Jersey from a detention centre in Louisiana. “All these attempts to suppress Pro-Palestinian voices have failed now.”

Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil has said the Trump administration failed to suppress pro-Palestinian voices, following his release from more than three months in immigration detention.

Speaking at the airport in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, Mr Khalil vowed to continue to advocate for Palestinian rights, and for the rights of the immigrants “who are left behind in that facility” where he was jailed in Louisiana.

He accused the White House of attempting to “dehumanise anyone who does not agree with the administration”.

He held flowers given to him by supporters, and shouted “free Palestine” as he ended his remarks. He was pushing a pram carrying his baby son, who was born while he was in prison, as he departed the news conference with his wife.

Mr Khalil was joined by New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said his release showed that the Trump administration was losing the legal battle to deport migrants in the US who advocate for Palestinians.

In May, Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who co-authored an opinion piece in her campus newspaper that was critical of Israel’s war, was released on bail after weeks in detention. Her deportation hearing is ongoing.

“The Trump administration knows that they are waging a losing legal battle,” the congresswoman said.

“They are violating the law, and they know they are violating the law. And they are trying to use these one-off examples to intimidate everyone else.”

Mr Khalil’s remarks come a day after a judge ordered him released from jail after determining he was not a flight risk or threat to his community while his immigration proceedings continued.

The Trump administration has vowed to appeal against his release, as it continues its efforts to remove him from the US.

“There is no basis for a local federal judge in New Jersey – who lacks jurisdiction – to order Khalil’s release from a detention facility in Louisiana,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement to Reuters. “We expect to be vindicated on appeal.”