Israeli Forces Open Fire on Palestinians Near Food Distribution Center in Gaza

In a devastating turn of events, Israeli soldiers fired on crowds of Palestinians walking towards a new food distribution center in southern Gaza, killing at least 27 people and injuring many more. This is the second such shooting in three days near the same site in the city of Rafah, where thousands of desperate and hungry Palestinians have been coming early each day in hopes of securing food. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed aid system, has been beset by problems since its inception, with aid agencies criticizing it for being dehumanizing, dangerous, and severely ineffective.

Key Takeaways:

• At least 27 people were killed and many injured when Israeli soldiers fired on crowds of Palestinians near a food distribution center in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
• This is the second such shooting in three days near the same site in the city of Rafah, where thousands of desperate and hungry Palestinians have been coming early each day in hopes of securing food.
• The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed aid system, has been criticized by aid agencies for being dehumanizing, dangerous, and severely ineffective.
• The foundation's executive director, Jake Wood, resigned before it began operations, citing concerns that the group would not operate independently and impartially.
• The group has been rocked by turmoil since its inception, with the U.S. advisory firm Boston Consulting Group stepping back from its involvement and placing a partner on leave to conduct an internal review.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross has received the bodies of 19 people who died from their wounds, and eight others are still being treated at the field hospital in Rafah.
• Many of the casualties have arrived at the International Committee of the Red Cross's field hospital in Rafah, where they have been treated for gunshot wounds.
• Hamas has been accused of instigating chaos and encouraging people to riot in an effort to control the food distribution operation managed by an American company.
• The U.S. has provided funding for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been accused of diverting international aid to Hamas.

Statistics:

• At least 27 people were killed in the shooting near the food distribution center in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
• The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has delivered more than 100,000 boxes of food to hungry Gazans since its inception.
• The group has announced only four aid distribution points, compared with 400 under the previous U.N.-coordinated system across Gaza.
• The new system has been criticized for being overcrowded, with huge crowds of Palestinians arriving early each morning at the aid sites hoping to get a package of food.
• The Israeli military said its forces had fired near "a few" people who had strayed from the designated route to the site and who did not respond to warning shots.

Sources:

• The New York Times
• Agence France-Presse
• Getty Images
• The Israeli military
• The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
• The International Committee of the Red Cross
• Doctors Without Borders
• The United Nations
• Boston Consulting Group