Starving Palestinians have expressed anger and dismay after the Israeli military shot at crowds of Palestinians who gathered at an aid distribution centre in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday.
There were chaotic scenes in Rafah on Tuesday as starving Palestinians rushed inside a facility holding aid, due to long delays conducting security checks on recipients.
Israeli gunfire killed three and injured at least 46 others.
Moaz Abu Musa, who was among those heading towards the aid distribution point in Rafah, told Middle East Eye that thousands made their way to the area, despite the dangers of overcrowding.
“Only a small number of civilians received aid supplies, around 10 percent. Meanwhile, the rest just went back after shots were fired [by the Israeli army], killing several people, and it was difficult to retrieve their bodies,” he explained.
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He said the Israeli military deliberately attacked the civilians, with tanks firing shells at civilians from a distance of around 500 metres.
The army was using both aerial and ground military equipment to launch its assault on civilians, according to Abu Musa, who lost a relative during the attack.
Speaking to MEE on Wednesday, Abu Musa said the bodies of those killed in the assault alongside the wounded had not been retrieved or rescued due to the instability in the area.
He added that the American teams present at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s (GHF) compound in Rafah responsible for distributing supplies had fled the area, and did not return to complete their work.
‘No food or water’
One Palestinian man who was near the scene selling aid he received from yesterday told MEE he had come from the north to the south of Gaza as they have “no food or water”.
“When the American teams began distributing aid, the people rushed [forwards], and they all began taking supplies. The army began shooting at us directly,” Jamal Raed recalled, adding that there were perhaps 10,000 people crowding in the area.
“Whoever was able to get out of the area intact should praise God. If anyone fell [during the overcrowding] no one is going to be able to look for you. Everyone is putting themselves first, everyone is just concerned with feeding their own kids and family.”
Raed added that if there was another aid allocation happening, he would not go if the same chaos ensues, saying: “I wouldn’t come back, because what we saw yesterday was the day of judgement … they were shooting at us directly.”
Break down of order
The chaos erupted as starvation looms across Gaza since an Israeli blockade on all aid that began on 2 March.
Israeli media reported that American security staff at the GHF compound in Rafah had to be rescued once they lost control.
The GHF emerged earlier this month as Israeli officials began briefing the UN and international NGOs about their new detailed plan to take over – and restrict – aid distribution in the besieged strip.
Senior humanitarian officials and aid organisations have condemned the GHF, arguing that a new body is unnecessary.
Instead, they say Israel must stop obstructing the existing UN-led system and allow aid to flow unimpeded.
Palestinians speaking to MEE expressed outrage over the lack of preparation and the poor handling at the distribution point.
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Mohammad al-Sedeideh told MEE that there “are no substitutes for Unrwa”, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
“Unrwa is enough for us, but you tell me Americans or Saudis or any others [are responsible for distributing], they are all taking advantage of us. We are dying from hunger.”
He demanded that the corridors surrounding the Gaza Strip be opened and the siege on the enclave be put to an end.
“You are not real men,” he said of the neighbouring Arab countries, further condemning the recent US-Israeli initiative.
Sedeideh stressed that he was supporting eight people, including his daughter, son-in law and his grandchildren.
“They want to erase Unrwa, they don’t want us to be considered refugees so they can displace us… I will not be expelled, I will die on my homeland,” he said, further condemning US president Donald Trump’s recent trip to the Middle East.
Apart from the deaths and injuries, several people also went missing in the chaos, officials in Gaza said.
A statement made by Gaza’s Government Media Office described Israel’s actions as a “full-scale massacre in the city of Rafah”.
“What happened today in Rafah is a true massacre and a full-fledged war crime, committed in cold blood against civilians exhausted by the ongoing siege and starvation that has lasted for more than 90 days since the crossings were closed, and nearly 20 months since the genocide and the complete cut-off of food and medicine to the Gaza Strip,” the office said.
“This is part of a clear plan for genocide and forced displacement, acknowledged by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and a number of his ministers.”
