Oh My- Israeli troops open fire as aid group loses control of distribution centre

[malaise]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/27/israeli-troops-open-fire-aid-group-loses-control-distribution-centre

Israeli troops have opened fire near thousands of hungry Palestinians as a logistics group chosen by Israel to ship food into Gaza lost control of its distribution centre on its second day of operations.

An 11-week total siege and an ongoing tight Israel blockade means most people in Gaza are desperately hungry. Hundreds of thousands walked through Israeli military lines to reach the new distribution centre in Rafah on Tuesday.

But the newly established Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was not prepared for them and staff at one point were forced to abandon their posts.
————-
The UN is correct - this is madness

[get the red out]

1. Bloodthirsty

This is horrific beyond words!

[Mosby]

2. Guardian spin/propaganda

Typical. Why do people even use the Guardian, they clearly have an anti-Israel agenda.

Gazans overrun Strip’s new aid center; operators says distribution has resumed

Thousands of Palestinians on Tuesday overran one of the newly established aid distribution sites in southern Gaza’s Rafah, only hours after the military announced the new aid mechanism, backed by Israel and the United States, began operating for the first time.

Footage posted to social media showed crowds surging into the area and taking boxes of food.

The IDF, which secures the area around the facility, confirmed that troops fired warning shots outside the compound, but denied reports claiming it opened fire from a helicopter or towards the center itself.

A military source said an Israeli Air Force helicopter was operating over the sea at the time of the incident, but not anywhere close to the distribution site.

“Control over the situation was established, food distribution operations are expected to continue as planned, and the safety of IDF troops was not compromised,” the military added.

According to Palestinian reports, the American security personnel charged with securing the area fled the scene. There were no reports of casualties in the incident.

The newly created Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sought to downplay the incident, saying that its American security subcontractors fell back in order to allow “a small number” of people to take food.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/gazans-overrun-strips-new-aid-center-operators-says-distribution-has-resumed/

Chaos erupts at Gaza aid site as crowds overwhelm distribution efforts

A newly established food distribution center in the Tel al-Sultan neighborhood of Rafah descended into chaos Tuesday, hours after opening, as hundreds of Palestinians overwhelmed the site. According to reports from Gaza, the surge prompted American aid workers to withdraw from the location.

Israeli officials contended that local residents did not loot the facility. However, eyewitness accounts and representatives from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) confirmed that remaining aid packages were taken during the disorder.

A Gaza-based source told Ynet that due to the large crowd at the aid distribution point, GHF security personnel fled. The source added that the site was destroyed, fencing was torn down and an Israeli combat helicopter fired warning shots to disperse the crowd. All aid packages, tables and chairs were taken, and the American staff evacuated the area.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143466849

[sinkingfeeling]

4. And 90% of what you post is single sourced from 'Times of Israel '.

[Mosby]

5. The Guardian headline is dishonest and purposely misleading.

Israeli troops open fire as aid group loses control of distribution centre

It's blatant and obvious, and basically click bait. (Who did those dastardly Zionists shoot at? Did they kill innocent kids?)

It's a fucking game to the European media.

BBC is just as bad.

[EdmondDantes_]

8. It's not at all clear which side is more accurate based on the evidence

Both sides have incentive and history of lying about such things. Taking either story at face value isn't likely to be entirely accurate or unbiased account.

Then there's the potential grey area of what qualifies as shooting in the vicinity is. I suspect I'd feel very differently based on what end of the gun I was on. The IDF could sincerely have fired a safe distance away, but in a panic situation with starving people in a crowd already predisposed to not give the Israeli military the benefit of doubt the crowd could also sincerely feel like they were under fire.

[EX500rider]

3. Yeah I read on BBC they only had 5 security contractors, clearly not enough nt

[Rob H.]

6. The IDF needs to be pulled back entirely

Last edited Wed May 28, 2025, 09:01 AM - Edit history (2)

And despite pushing for control of food and other supplies coming into Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces had not properly prepared to distribute aid and “planned to direct the population using gunfire,” a security source told Haaretz newspaper.

“They treated it like a routine situation involving suspects entering a combat zone, but you can’t direct a population of that scale with gunfire if you want them to feel safe reaching the areas you’ve opened,” he told the paper. (Emphasis added by me)

The source said that the military’s original idea to direct crowds using gunfire suggests “they didn’t think and didn’t plan” to use other means, such as fencing off the area.

I'm guessing the IDF didn't want them to feel safe reaching the area but at least they didn't straight-up murder anyone for once.

[Nanjeanne]

7. The Haaretz article that describes the distribution, the challenges etc explains a lot.

Arabic-language media reported that IDF helicopters opened fire at the aid hubs. The Israeli army denied that any aerial fire at the aid centers took place, saying troops fired warning shots in the vicinity of the compound. One Gazan resident who visited one of the aid distribution centers told Haaretz that no identification was needed to enter the center's compound or to receive aid packages – a process that left many leaving empty-handed.

"I am a 50-year-old father of five. I wasn't able to stand amongst the crowds, and I returned with nothing," he said. According to him, the "mass amount of people who arrived created an unbearable situation."

Another eyewitness in Rafah told Haaretz that thousands have been arriving to receive aid, along a route determined by the army. He described a heavy military presence surrounding the distribution point and claimed that anyone who deviates from the path is shot.

According to the source, in the plans preceding the opening of the area, there were rules of engagement that, in his view, could have led to disaster.
"They treated it like a routine situation involving suspects entering a combat zone, but you can't direct a population of that scale with gunfire if you want them to feel safe reaching the areas you've opened," he said.

The source said that that military's original idea to direct crowds using gunfire suggests that "they didn't think and didn't plan" to use other means like fencing off the area and clear control of the area. "These are territories the IDF controls, it's not a problem to do this if the proper resources were allocated timely," the source said.
According to him, thanks to the delay in the public's arrival – a result of the siege imposed by Hamas – the military had enough time to reinforce preparations around the humanitarian zones.

Earlier this month, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued sharp criticism of the aid plan. A document prepared by the office warned that this delivery method will significantly reduce current humanitarian operations at a time of immense need.
The document noted that at the moment there are approximately 400 aid distribution points across Gaza, and the proposed model would drastically reduce the scale, increasing the risk that large segments of the population will be left without food or other essential supplies.
It also warned that under the plan, "many displaced people will have to walk long distances carrying loads of around 20 kilograms. In the current conditions, this burden will fall especially hard on women, the elderly and the wounded."

https://archive.is/wmtiB]

400 distribution centers reduced to 4. What could be wrong with that?