An 11-week comprehensive siege and Israel's continued strict blockade mean that the majority of people in the Gaza Strip are in extreme hunger. On May 27 local time, tens of thousands of people crossed the military lines to reach new food distribution points in Rafah.

However, the private aid organization "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" that set up the distribution point was unprepared, and the distribution point once went out of control. The Israeli army fired.

It is reported that at least three injured Palestinians were taken away from the scene, one of whom had a leg injury with bleeding.

BBC reported a picture of Palestinian crowds rushing to the food distribution point. According to reports by The Guardian and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), on May 26 local time, the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" announced that it had "started operations in Gaza" and began distributing supplies to Palestinians at the distribution point.

On May 27 local time, the Israeli military confirmed that two locations in Rafah, Tal Sultan Community and Morag Corridor, had started distributing food.

Almost at the same time, Israeli and Palestinian media shared photos of long queues of Palestinians in Tal Sultan Community. But just over an hour later, they began to release videos showing thousands of men, women, and children rushing in. In one video, it seemed that gunshots rang out, and some people were running and hiding.

Witnesses described the chaotic scenes at the time and said that nearby Israeli troops had opened fire.

"The situation was very difficult at the time; they only allowed 50 people through at a time," a man told the BBC. "Finally, chaos erupted - people climbed over the gates, attacked others, and took all the aid."

The man said, "This was a disgraceful experience. We suffered from hunger. We just wanted some sugar to make tea and a piece of bread to eat."

A woman said that hunger and poverty "overwhelmed everyone," and "people were exhausted and willing to do anything, even risking their lives, just to find food and feed their children."

It was reported that some people managed to obtain aid boxes containing basic items such as sugar, flour, pasta, and tahini, but most people returned empty-handed.

According to The Guardian citing AP reports, Hosni Abu Amra, who was waiting for food at the scene, said, "There was no order; people rushed forward to take it; there were gunshots; we ran away without getting anything to help us endure the hunger."

Ahmed Abu Taha said he heard gunshots and saw Israeli military aircraft flying overhead. "At that moment, there was chaos; people were panicking."

It was reported that the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" was unprepared for so many hungry Palestinians, leading to staff abandoning their posts and temporarily losing control of the distribution point.

On May 27 local time, the foundation issued a statement saying, "In the late afternoon of the day, there were so many people at the distribution point that the foundation team withdrew, allowing a small part of the Palestinians in Gaza to safely collect aid and gradually disperse."

The statement acknowledged "great local demand" and stated that so far, approximately 8,000 food boxes had been distributed through cooperation with local NGOs, equivalent to 462,000 meals.

The statement also claimed that Palestinians experienced several hours of delay when entering one of the distribution points due to the blockade implemented by Hamas. However, it did not provide evidence.

The "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" plans to provide food for one million people in the Gaza Strip by the end of this weekend. Reuters reported that according to The Guardian citing AP reports, gunfire from Israeli tanks and helicopters could be heard on the scene, and a military helicopter fired flares. At least three injured Palestinians were taken away from the scene, one of whom had a leg injury with bleeding.

The Israeli military said that they fired warning shots nearby to restore control. It is unclear whether anyone was injured among the crowd trying to get food.

In his speech on the evening of May 27 local time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu admitted that during the distribution of food, "temporary loss of control" occurred, but he added, "Happily, we have regained control."

The Hamas media office said on the same day that Israel's efforts to distribute aid supplies had "failed." It also denied allegations that Hamas had tried to prevent civilians from reaching the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" distribution point.

In a press conference, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Diya Ricky said, "We have been watching videos near a distribution point set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Frankly speaking, these videos and images are heartbreaking."

He pointed out, "We and our partners have a detailed, principled, and feasible plan supported by member states to provide assistance to desperate people. We continue to emphasize that significantly expanding humanitarian operations is crucial to avoiding famine and meeting the needs of all civilians, wherever they may be."

Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, claimed that the UN's criticism was "extremely hypocritical."

Bruce told reporters, "This is unfortunate because the issue now is about providing aid to Gaza, and then suddenly it becomes a complaint about the style or nature of the aid providers."

It is reported that the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" is supported by the United States and Israel, aiming to bypass the UN and become the main provider of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. Its security is provided by American security contractors.

The UN and many aid organizations refused to cooperate with the foundation, considering its plan to violate humanitarian principles, "weaponize aid." They warned that this would exclude those who are unable to move, force more people to flee, harm tens of thousands, condition aid on political and military purposes, and set an unacceptable precedent for aid worldwide.

Israel, on the other hand, argued that an alternative to the current aid system was needed to prevent Hamas from stealing aid. It was reported that Hamas denied such behavior.

On May 25 local time, the foundation's CEO Jack Wood announced his resignation.

Wood said that the foundation could not provide assistance while strictly adhering to the principles of humanitarianism, fairness, neutrality, and independence.

It was reported that Israel began allowing a small amount of humanitarian aid into Gaza last week, after two and a half months of banning all food, medicine, fuel, and other supplies from entering the area.

According to data from the Gaza health department, since October 7, 2023, at least 54,056 people have been killed in Gaza, including 3,901 people killed in the past ten weeks.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Guancha Observer, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509336184377410084/

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