Twenty-four Palestinian civilians were martyred and more than 200 others were injured on Tuesday as a result of Israeli shelling and gunfire targeting thousands of people heading to an aid center west of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian sources reported that Israeli artillery and aircraft fired shells and gunfire at displaced people as they waited for aid near a humanitarian aid distribution point near the Al-Alam roundabout west of Rafah, killing at least 24 civilians and wounding more than 200 others.
In the same context, Doctors Without Borders said that dozens of Palestinians were killed at aid distribution sites supported by the United States and Israel.
It noted that dozens were killed and injured yesterday while waiting to receive food from distribution centers, stressing that these events demonstrate the seriousness of the new aid distribution system and its severe lack of humanity and effectiveness.
It pointed out that with blood banks running low, the medical team itself was forced to donate blood to treat the wounded, stressing that using humanitarian aid as a weapon in this way could constitute a crime against humanity.
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, said that the new aid distribution mechanism is a “death trap” in Gaza.
“Israel must lift the blockade and allow the United Nations safe access to deliver and distribute aid into the Strip.”
He added that allowing the UN to distribute aid is the only way to avoid a mass famine in Gaza, including one million children.
He stressed that international media must be allowed into Gaza to independently cover the ongoing atrocities.
He stated that the new aid distribution system, which limits aid distribution to three or four distribution areas, forces residents to travel long distances to obtain aid, while previously, distribution was conducted through 400 points. He noted that 310 UNRWA staff members were killed during the war in Gaza
