Palestinians sleep near closed food banks despite shadow of violence

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Gazans are sleeping near aid collection points despite fears of deadly violence, The National has been told, as US-backed food banks stayed shut on Wednesday after three days of chaos and bloodshed.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said its distribution centres were closed for “renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement work”, and would resume operations on Thursday. Israel's army said the roads leading to them should be considered “combat zones”.

The US and Israeli-run aid operation has been marred by violence as medics reported dozens of Palestinians being killed and injured by gunshot wounds on successive days. Israel denied wrongdoing, but admitted firing “near” civilians as they approached an aid site in Rafah.

Gazans are desperate for food after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade. “Our lives have become nothing but waiting,” said Mazen Mortaja, 43. “Either near the American aid centres by Netzarim or hoping a truck passes so we can grab food or water.”

Mr Mortaja, who lives in a makeshift shelter in central Gaza, said troops “shoot at us constantly” when people approach an aid site in the Israeli-controlled Netzarim Corridor. He said people were sleeping with no shelter near piles of rubbish and sewage.

“We face death every minute just to get a bite to eat. The occupation, Hamas, the entire world, they’re all complicit in killing us in the most brutal ways,” he said.

“Hunger has eaten away at our bodies. We know we might die from starvation, so it doesn’t matter if we die from bullets while searching for food.”

Mohammed Abu Amsha, 38, has been sleeping at a Netzarim checkpoint since Tuesday, having criss-crossed Gaza three times in a week in the hope of collecting food for his family. He returned empty-handed each time.

“The number of people is overwhelming, and the distribution is tiny,” he said. “Sometimes the army opens fire. People get hurt. Some die.

“And still, we keep going, because there’s nothing left. I’m afraid to go back north with nothing. My family of six is waiting, and starving.”

Shooting incidents

The foundation began its operations last week after Israel eased a blockade on Gaza that had prevented aid from entering for more than two months, sparking warnings of mass famine.

But the group's first week of work has been marred by violence and criticism. At least 27 Palestinians were killed waiting for aid at a distribution centre in the southern city of Rafah on Tuesday, according to Gaza authorities. On Sunday, 31 people were killed in a similar incident near a site run by the foundation. Three were killed on Monday.

The Israeli military faces allegations of shooting into crowds of civilians rushing to pick up aid packages near the sites. It has said the incidents are under investigation. On Tuesday the army said people would be prevented from approaching the distribution points on Wednesday.

“It is prohibited tomorrow to travel on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones,” Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X. “Entry to the distribution centre areas is strictly forbidden.”

The foundation is officially a private group but is backed by the US and Israel. Its aid operations, which bypass traditional humanitarian groups, have been condemned by the UN and established charities, who say they place civilians at risk by forcing them to navigate militarised areas to reach the aid sites. The organisation has said it distributed more than seven million meals in its first week.

Anas Abu Hani, 23, said he saw “people die right in front of me” as they tried to collect aid at one site. “They were starving. And no one seems to care,” he said.

He has spent the last week living on the streets near the American aid distribution point in Rafah. “Every minute, I wait for them to distribute something. Anything,” he added.

His father was killed more than a year ago, leaving him responsible for eight family members. “I never thought I’d die waiting for a kilo of sugar or flour,” he said. “But that’s what it’s come to. Thousands are here, just like me, hoping to get a bit of food that won’t even last a few days. But we have no choice.”

On Tuesday the foundation appointed Johnnie Moore, an evangelical leader and businessman, as its new leader after former chief Jake Wood resigned last week. Mr Wood had said the organisation could not fulfil its mission.

Mr Moore is an adviser to US President Donald Trump on interfaith issues and the founder and chief executive of a boutique communications consultancy named Kairos Company.

For decades, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA had spearheaded aid distribution in Gaza, with dozens of other organisations also participating.

But Israel has accused UNRWA of providing cover for Hamas militants, claiming that some of the agency's employees took part in the October 7 attack that started the Gaza war. It also says Hamas has been pilfering aid and that the new foundation's operations are a method of circumventing the Palestinian militant group.

Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the UN has warned the entire population faces famine. It imposed an aid blockade on the enclave on March 2 and has only relaxed it in recent days.

Nearly 20 months into the war, negotiations over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked. A brief truce collapsed in March and Israel has since intensified operations to “destroy” the group.

The UN Security Council will vote on Wednesday on a resolution calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza, a measure expected to be vetoed by the US.

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