The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not distribute aid on Wednesday, as it presses Israel to improve security for civilians around its distribution points, a day after dozens of Palestinians died waiting for aid.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said it had asked the Israeli military to “direct pedestrian movement in a way that reduces confusion and the risk of escalation” near areas under military control, develop clearer guidelines for civilians and improve training to ensure civilian safety.
“Our top priority remains the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid,” a GHF spokesman said, Reuters reported.
An Israeli military spokesman warned civilians not to enter areas leading to GHF points on Wednesday, describing them as “combat zones.”
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had opened fire on a group of people it considered a threat near a GHF food distribution point. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens wounded. The GHF said the incident took place “far beyond” its location.
Palestinians who picked up food boxes from the GHF on Tuesday described chaotic scenes, with no one supervising the distribution of aid or checking identification documents as crowds jostled for aid packages.
The United Nations Security Council will vote today on a call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement, as well as on allowing humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has been slow to arrive amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade of the famine-stricken enclave.
