At Least 20 Palestinians Killed In "Crowd Surge" At Israel-Backed Aid Site In Gaza

At least 20 Palestinians were killed at a food distribution point-- run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)-- in Khan Younis on Wednesday, in what the US-backed group said was a crowd surge instigated by armed agitators. The United Nations had earlier called these aid sites "death traps", condemning their operations after multiple reports that Israeli forces had opened fire on aid seekers near these centres. 

According to the United Nations rights office, at least 875 deaths have been documented over the past six weeks near aid sites and convoys in Gaza, the majority of them near GHF distribution points.

The GHF, which is supported by Israel, on Wednesday said 19 people were trampled and one was fatally stabbed "amid a chaotic and dangerous surge, driven by agitators in the crowd" at one of its centres in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

"We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd - armed and affiliated with Hamas - deliberately fomented the unrest," GHF said in a statement.

The organisation also claimed that GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, adding that a US worker was even threatened with a firearm by someone in the crowd.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas over the incident, but Palestinian health officials told news agency Reuters that at least 20 people had died of suffocation at the site. One medic said lots of people had been crammed into a small space and had been crushed.

Why Palestinians Are Still Going To GHF Aid Centres

Tragically, starving and displaced Palestinians have little to no choice but to seek aid from Centres run by the US-backed group. The continuing Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid has left one in every 10 children malnourished, according to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

According to UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, Israel's punishing prevention of aid entering Gaza has led to "severe shortages of nutrition supplies". He described the situation for starving children as "engineered and man-made".

The GHF, which began distributing food packages in late May after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on humanitarian supplies, has faced intense criticism for its operation. The UN has called the GHF's model "inherently unsafe" and a breach of humanitarian impartiality standards.

However, the US and Israel-backed group has rejected UN criticism, accusing it of spreading misinformation. GHF operates outside the UN-coordinated aid system and uses private US security and logistics contractors to deliver aid - an approach Israel says reduces the risk of Hamas looting, a charge the group denies.