Tuesday’s deaths follow a string of similar deadly incidents. Israeli forces have allegedly killed more than 100 Palestinians trying to collect aid from the controversial new U.S. and Israel-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, in just more than three weeks.
‘I’m scared’
“Every day he used to say to me, ‘I’m scared, Mom, but I have to go to bring food and drink for my siblings,’” one grieving mother, Yasmin Abu Muhsein, said of her 19-year-old son, Hadi Saad Abu Taha, who she said had been trying to get aid from a site in west Rafah over the weekend.
“And now he has been killed.”
GHF said in a statement shared with NBC News on that Tuesday’s incident that day “did not occur at or in the surrounding vicinity” of its distribution site “nor did it occur during GHF distributing hours.”
The organization has strenuously defended its operations in Gaza. On Monday, GHF said it had distributed nearly 26 million meals since launching May 26 and after Israel lifted a blockade that barred the entry of food, medical supplies and other vital items for more than two months.
Under the new distribution system in Gaza, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been forced to travel long distances, including in areas controlled by the Israeli military, to reach a handful of aid sites sprinkled across the enclave, with limited supplies being doled out each day.
While the Israeli military designates specific routes during certain hours to access the sites, much of the area surrounding the facilities is considered a combat zone outside of those times. And while GHF has warned Palestinians to avoid trying to access the sites outside of operating hours, many across the enclave feel they have no choice but to walk for hours overnight and into the morning to reach distribution areas early enough to secure a portion of the limited aid available.
Many still come away hungry after failing to reach the sites early enough.
