 "Israel admits civilian harm at Gaza aid sites, promises operational changes")
On Monday, the Israeli military admitted that Palestinian civilians were injured at assistance distribution sites in the Gaza Strip, stating that fresh orders had been provided to Israeli personnel in response to “lessons learned”.
Since Israel relaxed an 11-week assistance embargo on Gaza on May 19, enabling restricted UN supplies to begin, the UN reports that more than 400 Palestinians had been murdered while seeking help.
“Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,” according to an Israeli statement.
It stated situations in which Gaza residents were hurt were being investigated.
A senior United Nations official stated on Sunday that the bulk of those killed were attempting to reach humanitarian distribution locations run by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The GHF began delivering food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new delivery strategy that the United Nations claims is neither fair nor neutral.
However, many Gazans claim they must walk for hours to reach the sites, implying that they must begin their journey long before dawn if they are to have any hope of getting food.
On Friday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that a US-backed assistance operation in Gaza is “inherently unsafe,” adding, “It is killing people.”
Israel and the United States want the UN to work through the GHF, but the UN has refused, questioning its neutrality and accusing the distribution model of militarising aid and forcing displacement.
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View All“Any operation that channels desperate civilians into militarised zones is inherently unsafe. It is killing people, Guterres told reporters.
Responding to Guterres on Friday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said its military never targets civilians and accused the UN of “doing everything it can” to oppose the GHF aid operation.
“In doing so, the U.N. is aligning itself with Hamas, which is also trying to sabotage the GHF’s humanitarian operations,” it posted on X.
A GHF spokesperson said on Friday there had been no deaths at or near any of the GHF aid distribution sites. Israel and the United States have accused Hamas of stealing aid from the U.N.-led operations, which the Palestinian militants deny.
The war erupted after Hamas-led militants in Gaza took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.
Israel’s military campaign has since killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the coastal enclave.
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