After the Israeli military opened fire on crowds of people who rushed to an aid distribution point supported by Israel and the United States, at least three Palestinians were killed in Gaza.
Authorities in Gaza claim that 46 people were hurt and seven were missing as a result of the deadly incident in Rafah, which occurred on Tuesday.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the organization that spearheaded the initiative, refuted the report, while the Israeli military claimed that troops had opened fire on the area outside the distribution center and that control had been restored.
Israel and the US have defended the incident, which has drawn criticism from the UN and aid organizations.
A summary of the response follows:
Nations Unified
The images and videos from the aid stations set up by GHF, according to Antonio Guterres, a spokesman for the UN secretary-general, are “heartbreaking, to say the least.”
According to Stephane Dujarric, “We and our partners have a detailed, principled, and operationally sound plan supported by member states to provide aid to a desperate population.”
We saw the plan that they published and that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation [Gaza Humanitarian Foundation] presented to us, and it is not done with the parameters that we believe are in line with our principles, which we apply across the board, from Gaza to Sudan to Myanmar, to anywhere you want to talk about.
Palestine
The Israeli military’s actions in Rafah were condemned by the Gaza government media office.
The occupation forces, who were stationed in or around those areas, opened live fire on frightened civilians who were lured there on the slurriest of grounds in exchange for offering them aid, the statement read.
“What happened today in Rafah is a deliberate massacre and a full-fledged war crime committed against civilians who had been starved for more than 90 days because of the siege.”
The office continued, “This incident is undeniable proof that the Israeli occupation has completely failed to deal with the humanitarian catastrophe it has purposefully caused.”
Israel
Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, acknowledged the GHF site’s chaos but claimed it was minor.
He said, “We came up with a strategy to have American friends and control over the distribution of food to Palestinian families.” “Somehow there was a momentary loss of control.” We finally regained control of it, thanks.
He added that the Gaza Strip had no documented malnutrition, and that “you don’t see one, not one emaciated person] from the start of the war to the present.”
United States
The US State Department also downplayed the GHF site’s rush and defended criticism of the aid program as “complaints about style.”
Has opposed this [aid] dynamic,” Masso. They tried to stop the Gaza distribution centers’ supply of aid, but they were unsuccessful, according to Tammy Bruce, the State Department’s spokesperson.
It’s not surprising that there might be some issues with those kinds of things. The good news is that Hamas-based aid to the people of Gaza has been successful.
She continued, “The real story is that a lot of aid and food is getting into Gaza.” We’re dealing with 8, 000 boxes, which is a challenging environment with a positive impact.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
“The requirements are enormous,” he said. The GHF team retreated at one point in the late afternoon to allow a small number of Gazans to safely take aid and dissipate, according to a statement from the organization.
According to the group, operations have now resumed, with the distribution of approximately 8, 000 food boxes, which it claims will provide 5.5 million people for three and a half days, and adding up to approximately 462, 000 meals.
Refugees International
The US-Israel aid initiative is run by military, according to Hardin Lang, the organization’s vice president for policy and programs.
He told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC, “This is not the way you try to feed a population, much less a population that is on the verge of famine.”
A “very large and complex logistical operation” is what is needed to prevent famine, or stop it if it is already occurring. Additionally, it includes food. You must have access to acute malnourishment centers and medical facilities, which are not included in this plan.
He continued, “This is not designed to serve the needs of people.” Instead of attempting to meet the needs of a very depressed population, it seems to have been intended to relocate people to the south of Gaza.
Norwegian Refugee Council
The NRC’s spokesperson, Ahmed Bayram, urged Israel and the US to abandon their initiative and allow humanitarian organizations to continue.
He claimed that what we are seeing is in fact a summary of the tragedy in which Gaza’s residents are living.
