20 killed in at Gaza aid site run by U.S.-Backed foundation
Twenty Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in a crush at an aid distribution center in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The organization said the incident was triggered by “armed agitators” within the crowd.
The GHF, which is supported by Israel, said 19 people died after being trampled, while one person was fatally stabbed during the chaos. Palestinian health officials confirmed at least 20 deaths, attributing the fatalities to suffocation in the overcrowded space, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd, armed and affiliated with Hamas, deliberately fomented the unrest,” GHF said in a statement. There has been no immediate response from Hamas.
The United Nations rights office reported that at least 875 people have died near aid sites and convoys in Gaza over the past six weeks, the majority near GHF distribution points. The agency has repeatedly criticized GHF’s operations, describing its model as “inherently unsafe” and violating humanitarian neutrality standards, accusations GHF rejects.
GHF began distributing food packages in late May after Israel ended an 11-week blockade on humanitarian supplies. Unlike U.N.-coordinated aid systems, GHF uses private U.S. security and logistics contractors to deliver assistance, a method Israel argues minimizes the risk of Hamas looting, a claim Hamas denies.
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