Did Israel Attack a Humanitarian Aid Centre in Gaza?

New Delhi, June 1 (NationPress) Amid the escalating conflict in Gaza, a humanitarian aid distribution centre situated in Rafah, Southern Gaza, reportedly came under attack on Sunday, leading to the deaths of over 30 Palestinians. The Gaza authorities quickly accused Israel of killing innocent civilians, but Israel vehemently denied these allegations, labeling them as outright lies. Furthermore, Israel accused Hamas of working with major media outlets such as Al Jazeera and BBC to propagate false narratives.

Hamas claimed that Israeli forces had carried out a new massacre against starving civilians under the guise of humanitarian aid; however, Israel refuted claims of its tanks targeting civilians as entirely fabricated.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the organization overseeing humanitarian efforts in the region, also rejected allegations of mass casualties at its distribution centre, calling the reports untrue and concocted and asserting that misinformation was being spread to disrupt their operations.

Israel's Ambassador to India, Reuven Azar, took to X to denounce Hamas’ attempts to undermine GHF’s humanitarian efforts with false claims, criticizing news organizations for promoting baseless assertions.

“Hamas, in conjunction with its partners Al Jazeera and BBC World, is disseminating yet another blood libel aimed at sabotaging genuine humanitarian initiatives in Gaza,” he stated in a post on X.

The GHF, which receives support from the United States and Israel, indicated that a coordinated effort by certain media outlets is ongoing to propagate falsehoods and misinformation.

“Major news outlets are relying on unverified reports,” said the GHF in an official release.

“We observe daily coordinated efforts that encourage false narratives and distort media portrayals of our distribution operations. Regrettably, some media are reporting these inaccuracies without confirming their authenticity,” it continued.

Clarifying the situation regarding aid distribution in conflict-affected areas, the GHF stated, “In just six days, we have distributed over 4.7 million meals” and announced plans to expand their operations by establishing additional sites throughout Gaza, including the northern region.

GHF interim executive director John Acree also discussed the hurdles encountered by the team providing humanitarian assistance.

“For every truck we bring into our network successfully, other humanitarian groups are being robbed before they can reach those in need. Despite these challenges, our team is managing enormous, desperate crowds without any casualties,” he remarked.

Notably, Al Jazeera reported in its article titled ‘Israel kills 32 Palestinians waiting for food at US-backed Gaza aid sites’ that Israeli tanks fired upon individuals queued at the aid distribution centre managed by GHF, while the BBC also covered the story of mass fatalities.