{"id":1916320,"date":"2025-06-01T10:42:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T08:42:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/?p=1916320"},"modified":"2025-06-02T17:54:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T15:54:10","slug":"many-killed-as-israeli-troops-open-fire-at-aid-distribution-point-gaza-authorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pre.efe.com\/en\/latest-news\/2025-06-01\/many-killed-as-israeli-troops-open-fire-at-aid-distribution-point-gaza-authorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Gaza aid site shooting kills dozens, as Israel, Hamas trade blame"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Gaza City, June 1 (EFE).- Dozens people were killed and over 100 injured by gunfire near a humanitarian aid distribution point in southern Gaza on Sunday, according to local health authorities, amid conflicting claims from Israel, Hamas, and the aid group involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gazan Ministry of Health said at least 31 people lost their lives in the shooting near the aid center operated by the Humanitarian Foundation for Gaza (GHF) in southern Gaza.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The foundation\u2014backed by Israel and the United States\u2014denied the reports, calling the claims of deaths and injuries \u201cfalse\u201d and accusing Hamas, which governs the enclave, of spreading misinformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe observe coordinated efforts every day to instigate false narratives and distort media coverage of our distribution point operations,\u201d GHF said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Israeli army said it was not aware of \u201cany injuries caused by IDF (Israel Defense Forces) fire inside the GHF distribution point,\u201d adding that the matter is under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n
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According to the Health Ministry, the victims suffered single gunshot wounds to the head or chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a separate statement, Hamas condemned what it described as \u201ca horrible massacre\u201d of civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe call on the United Nations to establish an independent international commission to investigate these systematic crimes against civilians, enter Gaza, and hold the perpetrators accountable as war criminals,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Local sources said Israeli troops opened fire with tank shelling and gunfire after 4 am local time against civilians who had approached a distribution point in Rafah\u2019s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Palestinian news service Wafa reported the deaths of more than 30 people and the toll is expected to rise, the Gaza government said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSevere overcrowding is occurring in emergency, operating, and intensive care units due to the large number of injured,” the Ministry of Health warned in a statement detailing the casualty figures, including at least 30 in serious condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSevere shortages of surgical, operating, and intensive care supplies have reached their worst levels. Casualties in operating, intensive care, and emergency departments are in urgent need of blood units and blood components, given the severe shortage in blood donations due to anemia and malnutrition,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Gaza Civil Defense said its teams could not reach the attack site due to the extreme danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier in the morning, the Gaza government denounced \u201ca new massacre against hungry civilians who had gathered at the so-called \u2018humanitarian aid\u2019 distribution sites, which are supervised by an American-Israeli company and secured by the occupation army, within what are known as the \u2018buffer zones\u2019 in the city of Rafah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
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The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was established after Israel accused Hamas of stealing aid (which the group denies), and effectively bypassing the UN as the main aid supplier in the blockaded strip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The death toll at the new distribution points run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has risen to at least 50, with more than 220 wounded in less than a week, according to figures from the Palestinian authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Al Wada Hospital in Nuseirat, central Gaza, reported the death of one Gazan and the wounding of 18 others, including three children, near another aid point in the Netzarim area due to Israeli strikes on Sunday morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“This new crime, with this large number of daily victims, is further evidence of the occupation’s continued implementation of a systematic plan of genocide, through preemptive starvation and then mass killing at distribution points,” the government said following the Rafah incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It called on the United Nations and the Security Council to \u201cassume their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, open the official crossings immediately and without restrictions, and enable UN and international organizations to deliver aid free from the interference or supervision of the occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also called for an urgent independent international investigation committee \u201cto document these massacres, including the killings at aid distribution sites, and hold those responsible accountable before international courts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since October 2023, at least 54,381 Palestinians have been killed, with over 124,381 others injured. Thousands are still missing under the rubble. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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