One person has been killed and other 48 injured after a crowd overwhelmed an aid hub in Gaza, according to local health officials.
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians over-running an aid distribution site set up by an Israeli and US-backed aid group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
People broke through the fences, and an Associated Press journalist heard Israeli tank and gunfire, and saw a military helicopter firing flares.
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Crowds of Gazans arrive to get food
Ajith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, said it appeared that Israeli army gunfire had caused most of the injuries.
Speaking from Switzerland, Mr Sunghay said earlier: “The information that we have is that about 47 people have been injured, it is through gunshots.
“We’re still gathering information, the numbers could go up.
“What we know is that it was shooting from the IDF [Israeli Defence Forces]. But again, this is a job we are continuing to do at this time.”
Palestinians carry boxes containing food and humanitarian aid delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
The GHF said its military contractors did not fire on the crowd but “fell back” before later resuming operations.
Israel said its troops nearby had fired warning shots.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that there had been “some loss of control momentarily” at the hub, but “happily, we brought it under control”.
He repeated Israel’s plans to relocate Gaza’s population to a “sterile zone” at the southern end of the territory while it fights Hamas elsewhere. In the meantime, its strikes on Gaza have continued.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees said the new model for providing aid to Gaza was wasteful and a “distraction from atrocities”.
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‘Teaspoon’ of aid
Palestinians have become desperate for food after nearly three months of an Israeli blockade, which has pushed Gaza to the brink of famine.
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said last week Israel had only authorised for Gaza what amounts to a “teaspoon” of aid and more people will die unless there is “rapid, reliable, safe and sustained aid access”.
The UN and other humanitarian organisations have rejected the new aid system.
They have warned that it will not be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people and allows Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population.
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Israel said it has established the new aid system to stop Hamas from siphoning off supplies.
It has provided no evidence of systemic diversion, and UN agencies have said they have mechanisms in place to prevent this.
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Sanaa airstrikes
Elsewhere in the region, Israel said it had carried out airstrikes on the international airport in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
It came after Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired several missiles at the country in recent days.
Israel last struck the airport on 6 May. During that attack, it destroyed the airport’s terminal and left its runway riddled with craters. Some flights resumed to Sanaa on 17 May.
Israel said it had struck Houthi targets, including the last remaining plane used by the group, at the airport.