Closed Aid Centers: Israel Designates Distribution Areas "Battlefields"
Construction zones in Israel designated as combat zones during modernization efforts
Get the lowdown on this latest development from the Gaza Strip!
Israeli troops allegedly opened fire near humanitarian centers, causing mass casualties among Palestinians. As a result, these centers will be shuttered for the day. Here's the lowdown from the Israeli army and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Following a string of fatalities at an aid distribution center in the Gaza Strip, all centers shut down on Wednesday. The Israeli army and GHF made the announcement late last night. The centers are undergoing "reconstruction, organization, and efficiency improvements," an army representative stated, referencing the GHF.
He cautioned Gaza residents to stay away from areas leading to the distribution centers, which the army now classifies as battlefields. "Entrance into the distribution centers' zones is absolutely prohibited!" The centers are due to open again on Thursday.
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The GHF has only recently been distributing aid through these centers for about a week. After nearly three months of embargo, Israel permitted limited aid deliveries to the starving populace.
Tuesday's Palestinian reports claimed Israeli soldiers again targeted civilians near an aid distribution center, resulting in at least 27 deaths and around 90 injuries in the southern city of Rafah, per the Hamas-controlled health authority. This incident marks the third fatality-inducing event near a GHF distribution center in just three days.
Medics Speak of Carnage
After Tuesday's occurrence, the director of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis relayed to BBC that critically wounded individuals with gunshot wounds were brought in after Israeli forces reportedly fired on "multitudes of civilians seeking assistance in the west of Rafah." A foreign physician working in the region described the scene as "grisly carnage" and reported feelings of being overwhelmed by the amount of victims.
In response to these new reports, UN Secretary-General António Guterres once again appealed for action. "The Secretary-General keeps urging for an immediate, independent investigation of these matters and for justice to be served to those responsible," UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric relayed in New York. "It is intolerable that civilians risk and lose their lives while seeking sustenance."
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The Israeli army asserts that they saw threats posed by suspects approximately 500 meters from the aid distribution point. Soldiers allegedly issued warning shots first, but disregarded retreating suspects, resorting to firing upon individuals instead.
Israel grants GHF access to dispense aid in the Gaza Strip, aiming to bypass UN and other humanitarian aid organizations. The UN has criticized this, accusing Israel of weaponizing humanitarian aid.
- Israel
- Gaza
- Palestinians
- Gaza Strip
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Aid centers in the Gaza Strip were temporarily closed by organizations such as GHF to boost security, following incidents of violence and attacks on humanitarian workers and truck drivers, which were reportedly carried out by Hamas militants according to statements cited by the IDF[1]. The closures provided time for security improvements before reopening, but operational challenges continued, including labor strikes by truck drivers in response to attacks on aid convoys[1].
Meanwhile, parts of the Gaza Strip have become combat zones designated by the Israeli army due to ongoing military operations targeting militant groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. For instance, the IDF conducted airstrikes at a hospital in Gaza City, justifying it with the existence of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command center within the medical facility[1]. These military actions are part of broader initiatives to dismantle militant infrastructure, resulting in the designation of specific areas—including those adjacent to aid centers—as active combat zones, restricting humanitarian access[1].
- The European Union and its Member States, along with other international organizations, have expressed concern over the ongoing war-and-conflicts in the Gaza Strip, whereaid centers have been temporarily closed due to Israeli forces designating distribution areas as battlefields.
- The general-news surrounding the Gaza Strip is filled with reports of crime-and-justice, as incidents of violence against humanitarian workers and truck drivers have been attributed to Hamas militants, creating operational challenges for organizations like the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
- In the realm of politics, the Israeli army's decision to classify certain areas in the Gaza Strip as combat zones, which include locations near aid centers, has been met with criticism from the United Nations, who accuse Israel of weaponizing humanitarian aid.
