The IDF shot at several suspects who advanced towards troops about half a kilometer from the aid distribution site of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation after initially firing warning shots on Tuesday, the military said.
The suspects were seen deviating from the designated access routes at the site.
The military said it is aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into.
“The civilians arriving at the distribution area are supposed to walk along a designated route until they reach the corridor that leads to the distribution compound. This is intended to keep them away from IDF forces and prevent any danger to our forces,” a witness of the incident told The Jerusalem Post.
The witness added that the prohibited route is clearly marked, with barbed wire blocking it.
The suspects that were shot at “deviated from the permitted route, and several hundred people started running toward IDF forces. They got as close as 200–300 meters,” the witness told the Post.
“The forces fired toward the people to push them back,” the witness confirmed.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry claimed that 24 Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid in Rafah early Tuesday morning, Reuters reported.
“We recognize the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites,” GHF said in a statement.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first sites last week
GHF launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza’s war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.
The Foundation’s aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities, which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.
The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early Tuesday and that the aid operation was “conducted safely and without incident within the site.”
The total number of meals distributed to date is approximately 7,039,462 via roughly 107,520 boxes, according to GHF.
This is a developing story.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
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