The GHF stated in a statement posted on Facebook that it would “share information on opening times as soon as work is finished” and that its “distribution sites will not open as early as” Thursday morning.
The GHF also strongly advised aid seekers traveling to its locations to “follow the routes” the Israeli military had set out to ensure safe passage.
While “reorganisation work” was being carried out, the Israeli military warned Palestinians on Wednesday to avoid approaching GHF aid distribution sites, stating that access roads to those locations would be “considered combat zones.”
Since the GHF distribution sites are still closed for a second day, it seems that Israel’s military hasn’t issued any new instructions regarding the safety of them.
Israeli forces fired four rockets at Palestinians seeking aid early on Tuesday as they began distribution of food supplies in Gaza.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, the Israeli attack claimed the lives of at least 27 people and injured about 90 more.
At least 31 people were killed and more than 150 were hurt when Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of aid seekers in Rafah on Sunday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense Agency. On the same day, one person was also fatally shot at a second aid distribution facility in central Gaza, south of the Netzarim Corridor.
Then, on Monday, when Israeli forces opened fire again near the Rafah distribution center of the GHF, killing three more people and injuring about 30 others.
Mass casualty incidents that are “Unprecedented” are unprecedented
The Israeli military had refuted reports that its troops shot at civilians Sunday near or within the GHF aid distribution center, saying only that its forces fired warning shots at those who didn’t use “designated access routes.”
The soldiers only fired at people who “were approaching in a way that endangered” the soldiers, according to Effie Defrin, a spokesperson for the Israeli army.
The GHF, which began chaotic aid distribution operations on May 26, has also labeled reports of aid seekers being killed in large numbers “outright fabrications,” claiming it has not yet seen any evidence of an attack at or near its facilities.
Following Sunday’s attack, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that it had received “a mass casualty influx of 179 cases,” including 21 patients who were “declared dead upon arrival.” According to the group, there were both women and children among the victims, with the majority of them suffering “gunshot or shrapnel wounds.”
Palestinians in Gaza are “afflicted by an unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents,” according to the ICRC.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded an independent investigation into the deaths and for “perpetrators to be held accountable” following reports of aid seekers being killed by Israeli forces in recent days.
On Wednesday, the United Kingdom called for an “immediate and independent investigation” into the tragic events. Hamish Falconer, the UK’s foreign minister for Middle East, described the deaths as “deeply disturbing” and called Israel’s new aid delivery methods “inhumane.”
At least 48 people were killed in Israeli-led attacks across the Strip on Wednesday, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense, as Israel continues to expand its wider assault on Gaza. At least 18 people were killed when a tent was attacked in southern Khan Younis to shelter displaced Palestinians.
Since Israel’s invasion of Gaza in October 2023, at least 54, 418 Palestinians have died and 124, 190 have been injured, according to health ministry data in the region.
Source: Aljazeera
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