Main events on May 27th
- Large crowds gathered in southern Rafah as the US-and-Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) opened its first aid distribution point, with thousands of Palestinians storming past barricades in desperation for food after a three-month blockade.
- Israeli forces opened fire in a bid to disperse the crowd during the chaos, with Gaza’s Government Media Office saying Israel’s military killed three people and wounded 46 others.
- The United Nations and other aid groups have roundly criticised the GHF’s aid distribution model, saying it doesn’t abide by humanitarian principles and could displace people farther from their homes.
- Israeli bombardment across Gaza continued, with at least 26 Palestinians killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
- Yemen’s Houthis claimed responsibility for two missile attacks on Israel, saying they came in response to the storming of occupied East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound a day earlier by Israeli settlers.
Palestinians describe Gaza aid centre pandemonium
Ahmed Abu Taha, who was among the thousands of people seeking food in Rafa, said that a crowd stormed into the distribution centre by breaking fences.
He heard gunfire and saw Israeli military aircraft overhead. “It was chaos. People were panicked.”
Another Palestinian, Saleh Abu Najjar, said he heard a tank firing from a distance. “The situation was very dangerous and people were frightened,” he said.
In a statement, Israel’s aid distributor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, said that because of the large number of Palestinians seeking aid, staff at the hub followed safety protocols and “fell back”.
The foundation uses armed private contractors to guard the sites and the transportation of supplies. Shortly before the aid effort began this week, its chairman, Jake Woods, a US military veteran, resigned, citing a risk to humanitarian principles.
Palestinians carry boxes containing food in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday
