UN and aid groups condemn US-Israeli initiative after deadly scenes in Gaza
Displaced Palestinians receive food packages from a US-backed foundation in western Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on 27 May 2025
Middle East Eye reports on 28 May 2025:
The United Nations and aid groups have spoken out after three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire and dozens injured at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-US-backed initiative.
There were chaotic scenes in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday as starving Palestinians rushed inside a facility holding aid, due to long delays conducting security checks on recipients.
Israel’s military opened fire on the crowds as they rushed in, killing at least three Palestinians. At least 47 others were wounded and seven missing, according to Palestinian authorities in Gaza and the UN.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) denied such reports, while the Israeli military said it fired “warning shots” and later re-established control of the facility. According to Israeli media, Americans affiliated with the GHF had to be rescued once they lost control of the facility.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the scenes as “heartbreaking, to say the least”. “We and our partners have a detailed, principled, operationally sound plan – supported by member states – to get aid to a desperate population,” Dujarric told reporters. “We continue to stress that a meaningful scale-up of humanitarian operations is essential to stave off famine and meet the needs of all civilians, wherever they are.”