The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Monday denied all involvement in the attack close to the aid delivery centre in Southern Gaza’s Rafah, which killed 31 people.
The IDF shared a video on its X handle, which showed gunmen open-firing on the people who had gathered at the venue to collect food aid.
“Drone footage shows gunmen in Gaza shooting at civilians going to collect aid,” the IDF wrote on X.
Israel blamed the Hamas terror group for the attack.
“Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza,” the IDF said.
Video shows masked gunmen
In the video, masked gunmen could be seen firing at civilians who had gathered to collect food aid.
Earlier, the IDF said in an X post: “False reports have been spread in recent hours, including serious allegations against the IDF regarding fire toward Gazan residents in the area of the humanitarian aid distribution site in Gaza.”
“Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ต๐๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ฒ,” the statement said.
Amid disputed reports of Israeli forces firing on civilians near a new privatised aid distribution point in southern Gaza, the head of the Palestine refugee agency, UNRWA, said on Sunday that lifting the months-long aid blockade of the enclave is the only way to avoid โmass starvationโ.
Philippe Lazzarini posted on social media saying that aid distribution โhas become a death trapโ, citing reports from international medical staff on the ground and local health authorities who reported at least 31 deaths and more than 150 injured as civilians were lining up to receive aid from the Israel and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation โ which bypasses existing aid agencies.
โA distribution point by the Israeli-American plan was put far south in Rafah,โ Lazzarini said on X.
โThis humiliating system has forced thousands of hungry and desperate people to walk for tens of miles to an area thatโs all but pulverized due to heavy bombardment by the Israeli army.โ
He said aid delivery and distribution โmust be at scale and safe. In Gaza, this can be done only through the United Nations including UNRWA.โ
Gaza’s defence agency said Israeli forces had been responsible for the gunfire. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation โ which uses private contractors and involves the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to secure its sites โ has strongly denied that civilians were fired on, accusing Hamas militants of misinformation.
