The attack occurred in a help distribution center, in the south of the Palestinian territory. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an organization supported by the United States and Israel, announced on Saturday that two of its US employees had been injured in the morning by an “attack”.
“This morning, two American humanitarian workers were injured in a targeted terrorist attack during food distribution activities [au centre GHF de] Khan Younès, ”said GHF in a statement sent to AFP. “The attack carried out, according to initial information, by two attackers having launched two grenades on the Americans, occurred at the end of an otherwise successful distribution, during which thousands of Gazaouis received food in complete safety,” added the text.
More than 600 people killed during distributions
According to GHF, “no local humanitarian worker or any civilian has been injured”. “The two injured Americans receive medical care and are in a stable state” and their days are “not in danger,” adds the foundation. GHF began to distribute boxes of food products on May 26, after a blockade of two months and half-imposed by Israel at the entrance to any humanitarian aid in the Palestinian territory at war, despite the warnings of the UN and NGOs on an imminent risk of famine.
GHF distributions have given rise to chaotic scenes. On Friday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it had “registered” 613 people killed during aid distribution in Gaza between the start of GHF distributions and on June 27, including 509 near the centers of this organization.
Suspected Hamas
The Israeli army has repeatedly acknowledged that soldiers had opened fire towards “suspects” presenting a “threat” near the centers of GHF, where crowds of Palestinians are crowded every day, immense tails, according to witnesses. The Civil Defense of Gaza claims that several hundred civilians have been killed by shots from Israeli soldiers, tanks or drones while trying to rally aid distribution centers.
The Israeli army has repeatedly accused the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, against which it has been at war in Gaza since October 7, 2023, for these murderous incidents. Given the restrictions imposed on the media and difficulty accessing the field in Gaza, it is extremely difficult for AFP to independently check the assertions of the two camps.
Our file on Gaza
“GHF has warned several times against credible threats from Hamas, including explicit projects to target American staff, Palestinian humanitarian workers and civilians who depend on our sites to eat,” writes GHF, judging that “today’s attack [samedi] tragically confirms these warnings ”.
