Israel bombs aid distribution center in Rafah, killing three

US private security guards fired into the air to disperse Palestinians who caused a stampede at the aid distribution center. In an Israeli attack on the aid distribution center, 3 Palestinians lost their lives.

The new humanitarian aid distribution system, initiated by Israel and the US-backed “Gaza Humanitarian Fund” (GHF), resulted in chaos on its second day. During a stampede that occurred as thousands of Palestinians, who had walked for kilometers to receive aid, flocked to the distribution point in Rafah, US private security guards fired into the air.

It was reported that in the Israeli army’s attack on the aid distribution center in Rafah, 3 Palestinians were killed, 46 people were injured, and 7 people went missing. The Israeli army, however, described the events as “part of the distribution process,” claiming it was an intervention made for security reasons.

The events revealed that civilians, facing the risk of starvation, were endangering their lives to access aid, and that there were serious negligences in the planning of the distribution.

Concentration camp images

Photographs of those waiting in the aid queue quickly spread on social media. The images of civilians waiting for hours in an area enclosed by barbed wire were likened to historical pictures taken from Nazi concentration camps.

A US official, speaking to The Times of Israel, downplayed the chaotic scenes, describing them as a “brief 20-minute loss of control.” The official stated, “With GHF’s two-day operation, 462,000 meals were distributed. When the system starts yielding results, other countries will also provide support.” However, footage from the moments of the incident clearly shows Israeli soldiers firing warning shots and people fleeing in panic.

Hamas: Failure of a suspicious aid mechanism…

A statement by Hamas described the incident as “the failure of a suspicious aid mechanism.” The statement asserted that the distribution system aimed to control and humiliate the civilian population under the guise of aid, adding that GHF marginalized the role of the United Nations (UN) and international aid organizations:

“The images of thousands of our people, under the pressure of hunger, flocking to the center designated for the implementation of the aid distribution mechanism, and then being fired upon, unequivocally confirm the failure of this suspicious mechanism, which endangers civilian lives and is used to establish security control over the Gaza Strip under the guise of aid.”

UN officials also voiced harsh criticism regarding the GHF distribution system. UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, described the way aid was distributed as “sadistic” in a statement on his social media account. “This is a crime committed by the US and Israel,” said Rajagopal, adding that the distribution was used to humiliate and torture civilians.

Gaza tribes identify “hunger engineering”

The Chairman of the Higher Committee for Tribal Affairs in Gaza, Husni al-Mughni, defined the aid system supported by the US and Israel as “hunger engineering,” stating, “The people of Gaza stand like a rock against this inhumane plan.” Al-Mughni argued that the exclusion of international aid organizations and their replacement with security companies was the main reason for this chaotic process.

Famine claims are fabricated, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that the scenes in Rafah were a “temporary loss of control.” Netanyahu asserted, “There was no famine in Gaza; it was all a media fabrication. Because we detained thousands of civilians, photographed them naked, and they showed no signs of starvation, they hadn’t even done physical exercise.”

However, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank, 29 children and elderly people have died from starvation-related causes in recent days alone.

A report broadcast on FOX News also stated that a two-year-old Palestinian child was hospitalized due to malnutrition. CNN featured the tragic case of a mother who lost her baby because she could not find enough formula and medicine.

GHF at the center of debates

Although the Gaza Humanitarian Fund was established in Geneva, Switzerland, in February, many sources have confirmed that it is directly guided by the US and Israel. The fund’s purpose is considered to be the direct control of aid distribution by bypassing organizations like the UN and UNRWA.

Former GHF Executive Director Jake Wood had also resigned from his post, stating that the aid system was incompatible with humanitarian aid principles. Wood expressed that GHF had deviated from the principles of impartiality, humanity, and independence.

These developments have strengthened criticisms that Israel’s aid distribution system serves political and security objectives rather than humanitarian purposes. International organizations have called for the aid flow to be reshaped in line with impartial, safe, and humanitarian principles.