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| Gaza food hub suspends operations as Israel declares access routes ‘combat zones’ | Gaza food hub suspends operations as Israel declares access routes ‘combat zones’ |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| US-backed group demands better civilian protection after 27 people killed by Israeli troops near distribution site | |
| A US-backed group operating food distribution sites in Gaza announced it would not give out any provisions on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed dozens of Palestinians waiting for food and with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centres were considered “combat zones”. | A US-backed group operating food distribution sites in Gaza announced it would not give out any provisions on Wednesday, a day after Israel killed dozens of Palestinians waiting for food and with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centres were considered “combat zones”. |
| After Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd of Palestinians, killing at least 27 and injuring hundreds, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has pressed Israel to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites. | |
| GHF is holding security talks with the Israeli army and told the Guardian it could not confirm whether or not operations would resume on Thursday. | |
| The GHF said it had asked the Israeli military to “guide foot traffic in a way that minimises confusion or escalation risks” near military perimeters, develop clearer guidance for civilians and enhance training to support civilian safety. | |
| “Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid,” said a GHF spokesperson. | “Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid,” said a GHF spokesperson. |
| An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them “combat zones”. | An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them “combat zones”. |
| The GHF announced in a post on social media that its distribution points would be closed on Wednesday for “update, organisation and efficiency improvement work”. The group did not give more information on the improvements it intended to make. It said it was discussing security measures beyond the immediate perimeter of GHF sites with the Israeli military. | |
| The military said on Tuesday it had opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food distribution site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured. The GHF said the incident was “well beyond” its site. | |
| It was the third such shooting in three days, with Israel admitting on Tuesday for the first time that its forces shot at Palestinians. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired shots near a food distribution complex after noticing “a number of suspects moving towards them”. | It was the third such shooting in three days, with Israel admitting on Tuesday for the first time that its forces shot at Palestinians. In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said troops fired shots near a food distribution complex after noticing “a number of suspects moving towards them”. |
| “The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces. The individuals were moving towards forces in a way that posed a threat to them,” the military said, without specifying who the suspects were. | “The forces fired evasive shots, and after they did not move away, additional shots were fired near the individual suspects who were advancing towards the forces. The individuals were moving towards forces in a way that posed a threat to them,” the military said, without specifying who the suspects were. |
| A spokesperson for the GHF, which has taken over the distribution of food in Gaza and is backed by Israel, told the Associated Press that the group “was saddened to learn that a number of civilians were injured and killed after moving beyond the designated safe corridor”. | |
| The shooting occurred as the same site where on Sunday more than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while they were heading to the distribution hub. | The shooting occurred as the same site where on Sunday more than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while they were heading to the distribution hub. |
| The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the “deadly attacks” on civilians around food distribution was a war crime. | The UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, said the “deadly attacks” on civilians around food distribution was a war crime. |
| “Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable,” Türk said. “Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime.” | “Deadly attacks on distraught civilians trying to access the paltry amounts of food aid in Gaza are unconscionable,” Türk said. “Attacks directed against civilians constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime.” |
| Witnesses told the Guardian that the shooting started in the city’s Flag Roundabout area, about a kilometre from the food distribution hub. | |
| Fadi Abu Mohammad, 43, said his relative Mohammad Abu Shamala, 22, was killed near the food distribution site. “When gunfire opened on the civilians, he was struck by a bullet in the back and died instantly,” Fadi said. | |
| “He was supposed to get married next month. Going back to the aid distribution is a huge risk and a potential death sentence, but everyone who went had no other choice. If they aren’t killed by bullets or shelling, they will die of hunger.” | |
| Israel imposed a blockade on all supplies in March, claiming Hamas was seizing deliveries for its fighters. The group denies this and aid officials in Gaza have denied there is evidence of any widespread diversion of supplies at any stage of the conflict. In May a global hunger monitor said half a million people in the strip faced starvation. | |
| The GHF took over the handling of food relief despite objections from the UN and other humanitarian organisations, who criticised the new system for food distribution, saying it would not be able to meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, and that it allowed Israel to use food as a weapon to control the population. | |
| On Tuesday, an evangelical leader and adviser to Donald Trump on interfaith issues was appointed as the new head of the GHF. Johnnie Moore, a member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom and founder of the boutique advisory firm Kairos Company, replaced Jake Wood, a former marine, who resigned saying he could not guarantee the GHF’s independence from Israeli interests. | |
| Coverage of the war in Gaza is constrained by Israeli attacks on Palestinian journalists and a bar on international reporters entering the Gaza Strip to report independently on the war. | |
| Israel has not allowed foreign reporters to enter Gaza since 7 October 2023, unless they are under Israeli military escort. Reporters who join these trips have no control over where they go, and other restrictions include a bar on speaking to Palestinians in Gaza. | |
| Palestinian journalists and media workers inside Gaza have paid a heavy price for their work reporting on the war, with over 160 killed since the conflict began. | |
| The committee to protect journalists has determined that at least 19 of them “were directly targeted by Israeli forces in killings which CPJ classifies as murders”. | |
| Foreign reporters based in Israel filed a legal petition seeking access to Gaza, but it was rejected by the supreme court on security grounds. Private lobbying by diplomats and public appeals by prominent journalists and media outlets have been ignored by the Israeli government. | |
| To ensure accurate reporting from Gaza given these restrictions, the Guardian works with trusted journalists on the ground; our visual teams verify photo and videos from third parties; and we use clearly sourced data from organisations that have a track record of providing accurate information in Gaza during past conflicts, or during other conflicts or humanitarian crises. | |
| Emma Graham-Harrison, chief Middle East correspondent | |
| Moore has been a vocal defender of the GHF and has bristled at public criticism of the rollout, telling the UN secretary general, António Guterres, on X that reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking food supplies in Gaza were “a lie … spread by terrorists”. | |
| The UN security council is expected to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where malnutrition is widespread and food relief has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade in late May. | The UN security council is expected to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where malnutrition is widespread and food relief has only trickled in since Israel lifted an 11-week blockade in late May. |
| “It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food,” a UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Tuesday, adding that the food distribution model backed by the US and Israel was “a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on”. | “It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food,” a UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Tuesday, adding that the food distribution model backed by the US and Israel was “a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on”. |
| In a separate development, Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 26 people, according to hospital officials. One of the strikes hit a tent in Gaza City, killing seven people including two women and a seven-year-old girl, according to Shifa hospital. | |
| Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 54,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. | |
| Reuters contributed to this report | Reuters contributed to this report |