Israel opens fire on Palestinians seeking aid as UN warns of relief obstruction

Israeli attacks have killed at least 15 Palestinians and wounded many others waiting to receive aid in central Gaza in the latest assault on aid seekers in recent weeks.

According to local sources, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians as they gathered around relief distribution points operated and organised by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). 

The GHF was launched at the end of May after Israel imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza for nearly three months, which the United Nations says pushed the enclave’s 2.3 million people to the verge of famine.

Since its operations began, more than 274 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded while seeking food at distribution sites, which are guarded by US private military contractors and overseen by Israeli forces.

The UN and aid organisations have accused the US and Israel-backed GHF, which employs private American security and logistics workers, of militarising humanitarian aid. 

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Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), told reporters on Friday that aid distribution and delivery have been stalled as a result of the organisation. 

“GHF, I think it’s fair to say, has been, from a principled humanitarian standpoint, a failure.

"They are not doing what a humanitarian operation should do, which is providing aid to people where they are, in a safe and secure manner.”

Meanwhile, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) described the US-Israeli distribution model as a "recipe for chaos", noting that it is "also a distraction from the ongoing atrocities and a waste of resources".

"It is weaponising aid and resulting in fear, discrimination, and growing desperation," it added in a post on X.

Unrwa urged for the blockade on the Gaza Strip to be lifted and for the UN to resume operations, stressing that "aid must be delivered safely and at scale".

In another post, the agency warned that restrictions and hostilities continue to "obstruct humanitarian aid deliveries in #Gaza".

Israeli forces have killed more than 55,297 Palestinians in Israel's ongoing war on Gaza, which several countries, as well as many international rights groups and experts, now qualify as a genocide.

Since the early hours of Saturday, Israeli shelling has killed more than 23 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, with the Wafa news agency reporting the heaviest bombardment in the central region. 

In Gaza City, several were killed and wounded after a strike hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians near al-Khaldi Mosque. 

Meanwhile, artillery shelling was reported in al-Tuffah neighbourhood, in Gaza's Old City. 

Reports from the south of the enclave noted that at least three Palestinians were killed in a drone strike near the Islamic University in Khan Younis. 

In the same governorate, Israeli troops launched attacks targeting the Hamad City residential towers and the Asdaa area, with tanks opening fire on displaced Palestinians. 

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