The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed organisation running aid distribution sites in Gaza, suspended its operations on Wednesday following a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes near its facilities. The move comes as the Israeli military warned that roads leading to these centres are now “considered combat zones.”
On Wednesday, Israeli bombardments killed at least 48 Palestinians across Gaza, including 14 who died in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced civilians, according to the civil defence agency. The day before, 27 Palestinians were shot dead near a GHF distribution site in southern Gaza, according to civil defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Israeli military said the incident is under investigation, alongside several other similar incidents that have been ‘under investigation’ since the bombardment of Gaza began.
The United Kingdom joined the call for an “immediate and independent investigation,” echoing demands from United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer condemned the deaths of civilians seeking food as “deeply disturbing,” criticising Israel’s new aid delivery restrictions as “inhumane.”
Although Israel recently eased its blockade of Gaza, the UN has warned that the entire population remains at risk of famine.
The GHF stated its distribution centres would be closed on Wednesday for “renovation, reorganisation and efficiency improvement” and planned to reopen on Thursday. The Israeli army advised civilians to avoid roads leading to these centres due to active combat operations.
The GHF, which began operating just over a week ago, is officially a private entity with unclear funding sources. Major aid organisations and the UN have refused to collaborate with it, citing concerns the foundation serves Israeli military objectives. Both Israeli authorities and the GHF, which employs contracted US security personnel, deny claims that Israeli forces fired on civilians rushing to collect aid, despite several online videos and witness reports proving otherwise.
Food shortages in Gaza have renewed international calls for an end to the Israeli invasion, yet a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains out of reach. The United States, a key ally of Israel, used its veto power at the UN Security Council on Wednesday to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza.
At a hospital in southern Gaza, the family of Reem al-Akhras, who was killed in Tuesday’s shooting, mourned her death. Her son Zain Zidan said through tears, “She went to bring us some food, and this is what happened to her.” Her husband Mohamed Zidan described the aid as “not humanitarian — it’s a trap.”
The Israeli military maintains its forces do not obstruct Gazans from collecting aid. Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said soldiers opened fire on “suspects who were approaching in a way that endangered” troops.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk condemned attacks on civilians as “unconscionable” and a “grave breach of international law and a war crime.” The International Committee of the Red Cross warned that Gazans face an “unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents.”
Meanwhile, scenes of hunger in Gaza have spurred new solidarity efforts. An international activist coalition’s aid boat, the Madleen, set sail from Sicily on Sunday en route to Gaza, carrying a dozen people including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, as well as fruit juices, milk, tinned food, and protein bars.
Israel’s military declared it was ready to “protect” its maritime space, with spokesperson Defrin stating, “We are prepared” to respond to the flotilla, without further details.
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition condemned Israel’s “declared intent to attack” the boat, describing it as a “threat.”
The health ministry in Gaza reports that since Israel resumed its invasion on March 18, at least 4,335 people have been killed there, bringing the conflicts overall death toll to 54,607 — mostly women and children. Hamas’s October 2023 assault resulted in 1,218 deaths, according to Israeli figures.
The Israeli army said three soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, bringing the total Israeli military deaths in the conflict to 424.
