At least 30 people were killed in an Israeli strike near an aid distribution center operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in Rafah, Reuters reported on Sunday citing Palestinian news agency WAFA and Hamas-affiliated media.
The incident also reportedly left more than 115 people injured. However, the final death toll of the Israeli air strike at the aid centre remains unconfirmed.
The Israeli government has not issued an official statement regarding the reported attack.
The aid site is run by the GHF, a group that is supported by both international donors and Israel. The GHF recently began operating in Gaza.
According to Reuters, while some Palestinians have questioned GHF’s neutrality and raised concerns about Israel using biometric and other checks, Israeli officials said the checks are used to make sure no one connected to Hamas receives aid.
On May 28, Hamas accused Israel of killing at least three people and injuring 46 near a GHF distribution site. GHF denied the claim.
The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots near the compound to regain control after thousands of people gathered at the site.
Desperation rises inside Gaza
Israel’s blockade, now nearing three months, has brought over 2 million people in Gaza close to famine. While Israel has recently allowed some aid to enter, humanitarian groups say it’s nowhere near enough.
As hunger deepens in Gaza, desperate civilians intercepted 77 food trucks and took the aid before it could reach its destination, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said. Most of the aid was flour.
A witness in Khan Younis told the Associated Press that thousands of people stopped a UN convoy at a makeshift roadblock and unloaded the supplies. The witness asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation.
UN officials said Israel has forced them to use unsafe routes in eastern Rafah and Khan Younis, where criminal groups operate, reported AP.
Aid trucks have been blocked or attacked in these areas.
The GHF uses armed contractors for security, which it says is necessary to protect food deliveries. Critics say this approach risks turning aid into a military operation.
(With Reuters, AP inputs)
