Israel is not the only source of attacks near Gaza aid centres

Palestinians of Gaza have said they were fired at once more as they were going to aid centres on June 9th, with witnesses claiming that Palestinian gunmen were among the people opening fire, according to the BBC.

The observers said that the gunmen opened fire near an aid distribution centre, located in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan area. The witnesses said Israeli troops also opened fire and that the local gunmen seemed to be allied with Israel.

Six people died and 99 sustained injuries from aid pick-up areas, according to the health ministry of Gaza. Israel’s military has said is it reviewing the reports.

Deadly incidents have struck near each of the four centres since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid on May 26th. Israeli forces killed several Palestinians as they approached a Rafah site via a road inside a military-controlled zone.

In earlier cases, witnesses said Israeli troops shot at crowds, but the Israeli military denied firing on civilians. The forces claimed troops shot at “suspects” who disregarded warning shots and advanced toward them.

Days before the aid centre attack, on June 5th, an Israeli strike hit al-Ahli Hospital’s compound in Gaza City, the BBC reported. The strike killed five people, with three of them being journalists. The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem said the dead included a father escorting his son to surgery along with another person. The blast wounded 30 more people, including four hospital staff members.

The Diocese rebuked the strike, while the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate alleged Israel committed a war crime. The Journalists’ Syndicate announced the strike killed reporters from Palestine Today and Shams News Network. According to officials, four other reporters were hurt, with two remaining in critical condition.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that Israel’s military offensive has killed over 54,900 Palestinians, according to The Washington Post on June 9th. The released statement didn’t specify how many killed were civilians or fighters.

BBC, The Washington Post, Maghrebi.org