The Israel Defense Forces denied reports on Tuesday that its soldiers had opened fire at Palestinians seeking to collect humanitarian aid at the U.S.-backed distribution center in the central Gaza Strip.
IDF troops fired warning shots overnight at suspects who posed a threat to them in the area of Wadi Gaza, “hundreds of meters from the aid distribution site,” and before the center even opened, the army said.
“The IDF is aware of reports regarding several individuals injured in the area. An initial inquiry suggests that the number of reported individuals injured does not align with the information held by the IDF,” according to the military statement. “The details are under review.”
The IDF said the suspects were moving through an “active combat zone” when the troops fired the warning shots in an attempt to distance them.
According to the Hamas terrorist organization—which has been seeking to thwart the U.S.-Israeli scheme, which prevents it from looting the aid—17 Palestinians were killed and dozens were wounded by IDF fire.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which runs the distribution sites in the Strip, did not immediately comment on the Hamas claims.
The GHF resumed aid distribution in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, after cancelling distribution on Saturday due to what it said were direct threats by Hamas terrorists.
In a statement, the organization accused Hamas of “seeking to return to a broken regime it previously controlled and exploited—by diverting aid routes, manipulating distribution processes and advancing its own agenda regarding the basic needs of the people of Gaza.”
Despite the risks, the foundation stressed that “these threats will not deter the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation from its mission to deliver food to Gazans who need it most,” and that it was “intensively modifying our operations to counter these threats” with the aim of resuming aid.
Saturday’s closure followed the group’s announcement that nearly 9 million meals had been delivered since operations began on May 26.