Palestinian Territories — Gaza rescuers said Israeli gunfire killed at least 10 Palestinians and wounded more than 100 early Sunday as thousands of people headed towards a US-backed aid distribution site.
“At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others… were wounded due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens” approaching the US aid site west of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.
The dead and wounded were transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, he said.
More than 18 months into the war in Gaza, Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations has warned the entire population was at risk of famine.
Aid is only trickling in after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month total blockade, and the UN reported looting of its trucks and warehouses last month.
The UN’s World Food Programme has called on Israel “to get far greater volumes of food assistance into Gaza faster”, saying desperation was “contributing to rising insecurity”.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is administered by contracted US security with support from Israeli troops, began distributing food in the Gaza Strip on May 26.
The UN and other major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the organization, saying it violated basic humanitarian principles, and appeared crafted to cater to Israeli military objectives.
Officially a private effort, GHF said it had distributed 2.1 million meals as of Friday.
