Gaza: At least 20 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday at an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in what the US-backed group claimed was a crowd surge instigated by armed agitators. Witnesses reported that GHF guards deployed stun grenades and used pepper spray on a crowd pressing to enter the site before it officially opened, resulting in a panic at the narrow, fenced-in entrance.
According to France24.com, the GHF, which receives support from Israel, stated that 19 individuals were trampled and one person was fatally stabbed during the crush at one of its centers located between Khan Younis and Rafah in southern Gaza. Eyewitness Mahmoud Fojo, 21, who was injured in the stampede, described the chaotic scene where people continued gathering and pushing each other, leading to several individuals falling and being crushed.
Fojo recounted that some people attempted to climb over the netted fence, sustaining injuries in the process. He expressed the fear and desperation experienced during the incident, noting that many recited the Shahada, the Muslim testimony of faith, in what they believed were their final moments.
There has been no immediate response from the GHF or the Israeli army regarding the eyewitness accounts. The GHF utilizes private US security and logistics firms to deliver supplies into Gaza, largely bypassing a UN-led system. Israel claims this system has previously allowed Hamas-led militants to divert aid shipments intended for civilians, an accusation that Hamas denies and the UN has dismissed.
The UN has criticized the GHF's model as unsafe and a violation of humanitarian impartiality standards, an allegation the GHF has refuted. Amjad Al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGOs Network, accused the GHF of gross mismanagement, highlighting the challenges faced by thousands of hungry and exhausted people who flock to GHF sites, only to be squeezed into narrow spaces amid shortages of aid and lack of organization.
In related developments, the Israeli military announced earlier on Wednesday that it completed the construction of a new road in southern Gaza. This road separates several towns east of Khan Younis from the rest of the territory, a move aimed at disrupting Hamas operations. Palestinians view this road as an extension of Israeli control and a pressure tactic in the ongoing ceasefire talks.
The negotiations, being facilitated by Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar with US support, have yet to achieve a breakthrough on key issues. Hamas has rejected an Israeli demand to maintain control over 40 percent of Gaza and has called for the dismantlement of the GHF in favor of reinstating a UN-led aid delivery mechanism. Senior Hamas official Basem Naim criticized the road construction as evidence of Israel's lack of commitment to a ceasefire and its intention to continue occupying Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the war will conclude once Hamas is disarmed and removed from Gaza. Local health authorities in Gaza reported that Israeli military strikes have claimed the lives of at least 87 people across the enclave in the past 24 hours, with the broader conflict resulting in over 58,000 Palestinian deaths according to Gaza health authorities. The conflict has also led to the deaths of nearly 1,650 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 1,200 killed in the October 7, 2023, attack led by Hamas.