Israeli soldiers open fire when crowds grow at aid points: Charity chief
Bassam Zaqout, director of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, has described the chaotic scenes at aid distribution points following the deadly Israeli attack in Rafah.
“People walk for miles from early morning, trying to reach the limited aid points, now just four across Gaza … and all surrounded by Israeli soldiers. When they sense the crowds grow and are not controllable, soldiers open fire on those waiting for supplies,” Zaqout told Al Jazeera from Gaza City.
Zaqout added that the healthcare system in Gaza was overwhelmed.
“The hospitals are operating with extremely limited resources. Medical staff are forced to focus only on life-saving procedures for the wounded… those patients with non-critical or mild injuries receive basic treatment so they can recover,” he said.
“But those with severe injuries who require more advanced treatments … doctors work with them to put them in a stabilisation situation … and some of them will go on a waiting list with other thousands of wounded people to reach the health assistance outside Gaza Strip.”
GHF claims Israeli soldiers fired ‘warning shots’, reports of deaths ‘false’
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) says that Israeli soldiers fired “warning shots” as aid seekers gathered to receive food early on Sunday morning, according to the Associated Press news agency.
The Israel-backed aid group denied reports that dozens of Palestinians were killed, describing them as “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos”. In an earlier statement, the GHF said 16 truckloads of aid were distributed early on Sunday “without incident”.
Back to gaslighting...
Israeli army claims to be ‘unaware’ of deadly incident at Rafah aid point
We have been reporting on the attack in Rafah by Israeli forces near the aid distribution point that killed at least 35 aid seekers.
The Israeli army said in a statement on Telegram in English that it was “currently unaware of injuries caused by [Israeli troops’] fire within the humanitarian aid distribution site” and that the incident was still under review.
Bodies of victims are being brought to the Nasser Hospital for the funeral after Israeli soldiers opened fire at Palestinians trying to reach the GHF aid point west of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip
