Desperation in Gaza Sparks Panic at Food Hub \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Chaos broke out at a U.S.-backed Gaza food hub Tuesday as starving Palestinians overran a distribution site. Israeli troops fired warning shots, triggering panic, while aid workers fled. Critics say the new system risks lives and undermines international humanitarian norms.
Quick Looks
- Date of Incident: Tuesday, second day of GHF operations
- Location: Aid hub near Rafah, southern Gaza
- Trigger: Desperate crowds broke through fences; Israeli troops fired warning shots
- Casualties: At least 3 injured Palestinians seen
- New Aid Group: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), backed by U.S. and Israel
- U.N. Stance: Rejects system, citing violations of humanitarian principles
- Crowd Size: Thousands walked miles from tent camps
- Aid Contents: Flour, pasta, sugar, tehini
- Security Measures: Facial recognition, private contractors, Israeli military proximity
- Israeli Position: Claims Hamas hijacks aid; pushes “sterile zone” strategy
- U.N. Concern: Warns of forced displacement and insufficient aid
Deep Look
Tensions boiled over Tuesday in southern Gaza as thousands of starving Palestinians rushed a newly established food distribution center operated by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The center, located near Rafah, had just opened the day prior. Within hours, crowds overwhelmed fences, igniting chaos that drew Israeli warning shots and triggered a wave of panic and injuries.
As the second day of GHF’s aid distribution began, small groups of civilians initially made their way to the hub and received food packages. But as word spread, massive numbers of men, women, and children walked for miles from surrounding tent camps, passing Israeli military positions to reach the hub. Many were driven by near-famine conditions after nearly three months of Israel’s full blockade of Gaza.
Eyewitnesses described a volatile atmosphere. Aid recipients were corralled through fenced corridors, subject to facial scans and searches. But as pressure mounted and queues swelled, the crowd broke down fences and surged toward supply stacks, prompting aid workers to flee the scene entirely.
Nearby Israeli forces responded by firing warning shots. An AP journalist reported hearing tank fire, seeing smoke from impact zones, and observing a military helicopter launching flares overhead. Three wounded Palestinians were carried from the site, including one with a leg injury, though the full toll remains unknown.
“There was no order,” said Hosni Abu Amra, a witness. “People rushed to take, there was shooting, and we fled.” Another man, Ahmed Abu Taha, described the scene as “chaos,” with people running for safety under the sound of gunfire. Most left empty-handed, though a few managed to carry away boxes containing staples like flour, sugar, and pasta.
In a statement, GHF confirmed the disruption, saying staff followed internal safety protocols by retreating to avoid casualties and later resumed operations. A GHF spokesperson emphasized that no shots were fired by the group’s personnel and insisted that the incident proved the protocol’s effectiveness in “avoiding loss of life.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a newly formed and privately operated aid group, was created to take over food distribution from the United Nations and other long-standing humanitarian organizations. Backed by the U.S. and approved by Israel, the system has come under sharp criticism.
The U.N. and NGOs have refused to participate, warning that the GHF structure violates humanitarian norms, potentially amounts to collective punishment, and could be used to displace Palestinians by forcing them to travel into Israeli-controlled zones to access aid. They’ve also condemned the use of facial recognition scans as a form of population control, calling it intrusive and discriminatory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the situation, acknowledging a “momentary loss of control” at the site but claiming it was quickly restored. He reiterated plans to relocate Gaza’s population into what he called a “sterile zone” while Israeli forces continue their campaign against Hamas in the north and central Strip.
Israel defends its new aid structure by alleging that Hamas hijacks aid convoys, a claim the U.N. strongly denies. “There is no evidence of large-scale diversion,” said a U.N. official, highlighting that their operations have maintained transparency and efficiency despite extreme risk.
For now, GHF has four active distribution hubs, two of which began operations this week in Rafah. All are guarded by armed private security and located near Israeli military corridors, particularly the Morag Corridor, a strategic zone that divides southern and northern Gaza.
As pressure mounts on aid delivery, COGAT, the Israeli agency overseeing aid logistics, reported that 400 aid trucks are waiting inside Gaza but remain uncollected due to what it called “U.N. inaction.” However, Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office (OCHA), pushed back, citing “insecure and restricted routes assigned by Israeli forces” as the barrier to safe collection. He added that the amount of aid allowed into Gaza over the past week is “vastly insufficient” to prevent famine-like conditions.
The events at the Rafah aid hub underscore the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where more than 2.3 million people are trapped under siege, with severe food, medicine, and fuel shortages. As the international community debates the legality and viability of the new aid system, the urgency on the ground is clear: people are starving, systems are breaking, and civilians are caught in a deadly struggle for survival.
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