According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least one Palestinian was killed and 48 others sustained injuries while attempting to collect aid at a distribution center in Rafah on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, large crowds of Palestinians reportedly broke through chain fences, as thousands gathered to access aid being distributed by the (GHF), a newly formed organization backed by the U.S. and Israel.
Adjith Sunghay, who leads the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, suggested that the casualties were caused by Israeli gunfire. An Associated Press journalist reported hearing gunfire from Israeli tanks and guns.
The Israel Defense Forces have not yet responded to TIME’s request for comment.
Israel claims to have assisted in establishing GHF but has not provided proof of systematic aid diversion. Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, criticized GHF’s aid distribution system, which involves U.S. security contractors, as unethical and impractical.
“We warned against the militarized & politicized aid hubs that today ended in chaos and aid stolen & diverted from families in need. This fiasco could have been averted if our normal humanitarian system had not been blocked for months by Israel,” Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, wrote .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged a temporary “loss of control” at the GHF distribution hub on Tuesday but stated that the situation was “happily, we brought it under control.”
Since Israel ended a two-month ceasefire on March 2 and initiated a complete blockade of Gaza, food security experts and aid organizations have cautioned about a worsening situation. Israel has stated that these measures are intended to pressure Hamas to release the remaining hostages in Gaza.
A from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office on May 19 indicated that Israel would ease the blockade and allow a “basic” quantity of food into Gaza. This announcement followed the IDF’s launch of a major ground offensive called Gideon’s Chariots, aimed at “taking control of all areas” of the Strip.
On Sunday, Jake Wood, the head of GHF, citing concerns over the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality, and urged Israel to permit more aid to enter the Strip. The resignation occurred a day before .
Jonathan Whittall, head of the U.N.’s Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, stated on Wednesday that the “new distribution model cannot possibly meet Gaza’s needs.”
GHF stated its goal to provide supplies to 1 million Palestinians, nearly half of Gaza’s population, by the end of the week.
Amid limited access to food and essential supplies, Israel has issued displacement orders as part of its expanded ground offensive. OCHA reported on Tuesday that approximately 632,000 people have been displaced since the start of Operation Gideon’s Chariots earlier in May.
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