At least 30 Palestinians were killed and over 100 wounded while waiting to get food from two sites in Rafah and Middle Gaza run by the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to eyewitnesses and United Nations aid officials Tuesday.
Gaza health officials said more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military operations since the start of war on October 7, 2023, when militant organization Hamas attacked southern Israel, killing 1200 people and taking around 250 people as hostages.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday called for an investigation into the matter.
“It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he said.
“I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
In the United States, a U.S. management consulting firm hired to help design the program and run its business operations withdrew its team operating on the ground in Tel Aviv, The Washington Post reported.
The Boston Consulting Group said the company had terminated its contract with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and placed one of the senior partners leading the project on leave, pending an internal review, the newspaper reported.
Israel said its forces opened fire on “several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes.”
“The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
The IDF also said they are looking into reports of casualties, a CNN report said.
Currently, Israel and Hamas, which the U.S. has designated as a foreign terrorist organization, are deadlocked in talks over ceasefire and return of refugees.
Meanwhile, aid organizations have warned that Palestinians repeatedly displaced from their homes in the face of Israeli attacks, are facing famine on the besieged Gaza strip.
The story is being updated.
