Inside Israel’s role in the killings at Gaza’s food aid sites

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US nonprofit backed by the US and Israel, was acceptable up earlier this twelvemonth to supply humanitarian assistance successful Gaza. Its assistance organisation got nether mode successful May, pursuing a prolonged halt successful proviso deliveries to the enclave. But according to the UN, much than 1,000 Palestinians person been killed trying to entree nutrient astatine the GHF assistance hubs.

Starving and beleaguered Palestinians successful Gaza person nary prime but to locomotion respective miles to cod much-needed nutrient packages from the 4 heavy militarised hubs. Palestinian medics and civilians told Al Jazeera that GHF and Israeli troops person routinely opened occurrence connected the assistance seekers, sidesplitting dozens astatine a time.

Harrowing accounts person been corroborated by video evidence, whistleblowers and Israeli soldiers, and the killings person fuelled planetary outcry – including condemnations from heads of state, UN agencies and quality rights groups.

Who is liable for the killings?

Mainly Israeli troops, but mercenaries moving for the GHF are besides implicated, according to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, which documents atrocities against Palestinians.

Euro-Med besides alleges that Israeli forces person enabled Palestinian gangs to loot assistance convoys and terrorise civilians.

A retired United States peculiar forces officer, Anthony Aguilar, who was formerly employed by the GHF, precocious disclosed immoderate of the brutal attraction Palestinians look astatine assistance sites.

“Without question, I witnessed warfare crimes by the [Israeli military],” Aguilar told the BBC successful an exclusive interview.

Palestinians mourn implicit the assemblage of Ahmed Abu Hilal, who was killed portion connected his mode to an assistance hub successful Gaza, during his ceremonial astatine Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis, successful the confederate Gaza Strip, connected Sunday, June 8, 2025 [Abdel Kareem Hana/AP]

How are the Palestinians being killed?

Doctors and survivors successful Gaza accidental that Israel often uses snipers to purpose straight astatine Palestinian assistance seekers.

Dr Fadel Naeem said helium often treats survivors successful the al-Ahli Arab Hospital successful Gaza City and that astir of the gunshot wounds helium sees are to the “head, thorax and abdomen”.

He noted that Israel besides appears to occurrence indiscriminately astatine starving Palestinians, sometimes firing teardrop gas, explosives oregon artillery shells astatine ample crowds. These attacks often origin superior burns, arsenic good arsenic soma and shrapnel wounds.

“There is often terrible insubstantial tearing … and galore [of the injured] extremity up with amputated limbs,” said Dr Naeem.

Other Palestinians prolong fractures and breached bones, typically by being trampled successful the huffy unreserved to fly Israeli gunfire oregon get a container of nutrient aid.

Dr Hassan al-Shaer, who works successful al-Shifa Hospital, besides says galore of the injuries are serious.

“Many of the [injured] victims that travel to america besides person life-threatening wounds, and they are taken to the operating country immediately,” helium told Al Jazeera.

What excuse does Israel springiness for these killings?

Israel officially denies firing astatine Palestinians and often claims that its troops lone occurrence “warning shots” extracurricular GHF organisation hubs to forestall overcrowding.

The Israeli service besides says “chaos” astatine the sites poses an “immediate threat” to service soldiers.

Yet, according to a quality study published by the Israeli regular Haaretz connected June 27, Israeli troops airs the existent threat.

Many soldiers who served successful Gaza admitted that they were “ordered to shoot” straight astatine Palestinian assistance seekers by their superiors.

“Where I was stationed, betwixt 1 and 5 radical were killed each day. They’re treated similar a hostile unit – nary crowd-control measures, nary teardrop state – conscionable unrecorded occurrence with everything imaginable: dense instrumentality guns, grenade launchers, mortars,” 1 worker told Haaretz.

“It’s a sidesplitting field,” helium added.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Katz some contradict the allegations and assertion that they magnitude to “blood libel” against Israel, meaning they equate it to a mendacious and anti-Semitic accusation that Jewish radical execution Christian children to usage their humor successful spiritual rituals.

Does aesculapian grounds connected the crushed enactment Israel’s authoritative narrative?

No, accounts from doctors successful Gaza hospitals and clinics bash not enactment Israel’s claim.

Dr Shaer, from al-Shifa, noted that galore of the injured radical started coming into the infirmary erstwhile the GHF began assistance organisation successful precocious May.

Injuries are often compounded with illnesses and anemic immune systems, effects brought connected by starvation successful Gaza.

Hakeem Yahiya Mansour, a 30-year-old Palestinian exigency medic successful Gaza, added “death ever happens” astatine GHF sites.

“Most of the calls we get are from the surroundings [of the organisation zones],” helium told Al Jazeera.

What bash the GHF sites look like?

Footage of the sites shows thousands of starving Palestinians crowded onto a portion of onshore astir the size of a shot field, according to Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF.

Aid seekers are surrounded by defender towers and are often forced to combat for nutrient parcels that are tossed to bare crowds astatine poorly arranged and chaotic organisation points.

Tanks are often stationed nearby, and assistance seekers tin perceive the terrifying buzzing of drones supra them.

According to outer imagery obtained by Al Jazeera’s verification unit, Sanad, Palestinians person small abstraction to manoeuvre oregon person aid.

Despite the dangers, Palestinians look an intolerable choice: dice from gunfire oregon starvation. Many chose to judge the hazard and spell for assistance successful the anticipation of obtaining nutrient for their families and tiny children.

Mohanad Shaaban said helium did not devour for 3 days, pushing him to caput to the GHF tract connected July 30. He remembers seeing 2 tanks astatine the tract – 1 connected the close and a 2nd connected the left.

“The [Israelis] past opened occurrence connected us,” helium recalled solemnly.

“Please archer the satellite to extremity this famine.”

How is the satellite responding?

Harrowing scenes and images of Palestinians dying of hunger and being killed astatine GHF assistance sites person compelled immoderate of Israel’s allies to contented stern condemnations and ultimatums.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom precocious issued a connection urging Israel to standard up life-saving aid.

What’s more, France has taken the symbolic measurement of recognising a Palestinian state, which the UK besides threatened to do, unless Israel ends the “appalling situation” successful Gaza and commits to the “two-state” solution. Canada has besides said it volition recognise a Palestinian authorities successful September.