Palestinian mother describes violent struggle at GHF aid site
A Palestinian woman has spoken to Al Jazeera about her struggle trying to get aid from a GHF-run distribution point in Gaza – a process she described as a “death journey”.
“I need to provide for my girls,” the woman – a mother of two – told Al Jazeera. “I don’t have anyone to support me.”
She described the aid retrieval process as a violent scramble where only those who dare to push deep into the crowd come back with anything. “There are children who worked hard to get [aid] and men come to take it from them,” she said.
After putting herself at risk, the woman left the aid site with only rice, cooking oil and a can of tomatoes, she said.
Still, “it’s a blessing from God”, she said, despite having hurt her arm after being hit in the crowd.
‘Shooting, killing, death’: Palestinian man describes GHF aid site turmoil
Al Jazeera has spoken with another Palestinian who described violent scenes at a GHF-run aid site.
Ibrahim Mekki, from the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, said he waited at least six hours and risked being shot by Israeli forces just to end up with a few bags of pasta.
“Shooting, killing, death, destruction and martyrs,” Mekki said of the scene. “And for what? Just to get a little food.
“It’s a trap, a game … Letting you move a little, then opening fire,” he added.
Mekki said an “enormous” number of people had congregated at the aid site he went to, but estimated just 5 percent succeeded in retrieving anything of value.
“Look at me, what did I get? Nothing,” he said, revealing a bag with just two small bags of pasta and a bag of bulgur. “It’s not enough to feed the kids for a single day.
“I’m forced to go back every single day to try again,” he added.
UN says 1,373 aid seekers killed in Gaza since May, most by Israeli military
A total of 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid in Gaza since May, when the Israel- and US-backed GHF took over food distribution, according to the UN human rights office.
Of those, 859 were killed near GHF-run aid sites, and 514 were killed while waiting along food convoy routes, the office said
“Most of these killings were committed by the Israeli military,” it added.
The bodies of Palestinians killed while trying to reach aid trucks in northern Gaza are brought to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, July 20
