JERUSALEM: Food distribution sites run by the controversial US and Israel backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation are being shut down under the terms of the ceasefire deal, an Egyptian official and another official in the region told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Multiple Palestinian witnesses said three of GHF’s distribution sites had been abandoned, in the southern area of Rafah and in the Netzarim area of central Gaza. Palestinians, aid workers and health officials have said the system forced aid-seekers to risk their lives to reach the sites by passing Israeli troops who opened fire to control crowds, killing hundreds. The Israeli military says it only fired warning shots.
Hoda Goda, a Palestinian woman, said the site she often went to in Rafah was vacant and Palestinians tore down structures, taking wood and metal fences. Video circulating online showed people walking away with scrap metal from the site in the Netzarim area of central Gaza. Israeli troops pulled out of part of Netzarim on Friday under the terms of the ceasefire deal and are due to withdraw from parts of Rafah later.
A third official, with knowledge of the situation, said the current plan was to rely on other aid agencies to supply Gaza. All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the deal’s provisions.
