Two Palestinians killed while waiting for aid

Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian aid seekers in the southern Gaza Strip, the Middle East Eye via Al Jazeera Arabic reported on October 6th.

Al Jazeera Arabic quoted the Nasser Medical Complex, as saying that several others were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for aid.

This is the latest attack on Palestinians seeking aid, which comes amid concerns that Israel has weaponised aid in order to conduct a genocide in Gaza, with an ex-US Special Forces soldier, Anthony Aguilar, confirming that US military contractors have been involved in shooting at  Palestinians at aid distribution centres.

It was previously reported on June 26th that at least 549 Palestinians were killed while searching for aid at sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group supported by the US.

The aid sites were reportedly positioned close to Israeli military outposts and guarded by private security contractors; Israeli forces allegedly opened fire at unarmed civilians approaching the centres.

Amnesty International accused Israel of turning “aid-seeking into a booby trap for desperate, starving Palestinians.”

Agnès Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International, denounced Israel for the “deliberate targeting by Israeli forces and the foreseeable consequence of irresponsible and lethal methods of distribution.”

On June 24th, Israeli forces killed 71 people, such as 50 aid seekers; a further 25 people were killed near aid distribution hubs, situated north of Rafah. Strikes launched across Gaza killed at least 21 people on June 23rd.

At least 42 Palestinians were killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza on June 12th, with at least 24 victims being killed while they awaited aid.

A further 39 aid seekers were among at least 60 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, as reported on June 12th.

Palestinians in Gaza are facing what UN-backed experts have declared a “man-made” famine, amid ongoing efforts by Israel to obstruct the delivery of life-saving aid to the Gaza Strip.

It was reported on July 25th that one in five children in Gaza City were suffering from malnutrition, with one worker at the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) describing people in Gaza as “walking corpses.”

Israel’s blockade of food and humanitarian assistance has exacerbated already desperate conditions, which include an estimated 66,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition due to starvation.

Activists from around the world have previously attempted to break Israel’s siege on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid, only to be blocked by Israel.

Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, at least 422 people are believed to have died from malnutrition, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called the situation in Gaza a “21st-century atrocity”; Israel’s military operation is thought to have killed more than 64,700 Palestinians since October 2023.

Middle East Eye via Al Jazeera Arabic, Maghrebi.org