DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli fire killed at least 12 people and wounded others as they headed toward two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip run by an Israeli and U.S.-backed group, Palestinian health officials and witnesses said Sunday. Israel’s military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces.
The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of Palestinians — desperate after 20 months of war — are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials.
In all, at least 108 bodies were brought to hospitals in Gaza over the past 24 hours, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Israel’s military said it struck dozens of militant targets throughout Gaza over the past day.
Eleven of the latest bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinian witnesses said Israeli forces fired on some at a roundabout around a kilometer (half-mile) from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, in nearby Rafah.
Israel’s military said it fired warning shots at approaching “suspects” who ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting happened in an area that is considered an active combat zone at night.
Al-Awda Hospital said it received the body of a man and 29 people who were wounded near another GHF aid distribution point in central Gaza. The military said it fired warning shots in the area at around 6:40 a.m., but didn’t see any casualties.
A GHF official said there was no violence in or around its distribution sites, all three of which delivered aid on Sunday. The group closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with Israel’s military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The new aid hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones where independent media have no access. The GHF also said it was piloting direct delivery to a community north of Rafah.
Witnesses fear for their safety
Witnesses said the first shootings in southern Gaza took place at around 6 a.m., when they were told the site would open. Many headed toward it early, seeking desperately needed food before crowds arrived.
Gaza’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all food production capabilities have been destroyed.
Adham Dahman, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank fired toward them.
“We didn’t know how to escape,” he said. “This is trap for us, not aid.”
Zahed Ben Hassan said someone next to him was shot in the head.
“They said it was a safe area from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. … So why did they start shooting at us?” he said. “There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.”
The military announced on Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and the areas would be a closed military zone the rest of the time.
Children cried over their father’s body at the hospital.
“I can’t see you like this, Dad!” one girl said.
Aid distributed inside Israeli military zones
The new aid hubs are run by GHF, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups.
Israel and the United States accuse the Hamas militant group of stealing aid. The U.N. denies there is systematic diversion. The U.N. says the new system is unable to meet mounting needs, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by determining who can receive it and forces people to relocate to where aid sites are positioned.
The U.N. system has struggled to deliver aid, even after Israel eased its blockade of Gaza last month. U.N. officials say their efforts are hindered by Israeli military restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting.
Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine, if Israel didn’t lift its blockade and halt its military campaign. Both were renewed in March.
Israeli officials have said the offensive will continue until all hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
