20 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, mostly in stampede, Israel-backed group says
Israeli-backed GHF accused Hamas of fomenting panic that led to the violence in Khan Younis
Twenty Palestinians were killed on Wednesday in the crush of a crowd at a food distribution site run by an Israeli-backed American organisation in the Gaza Strip, the group said, the first time it has acknowledged deadly violence at its operations. The deaths came as Israeli strikes killed 41 others, including 11 children, according to hospital officials.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) accused the Hamas militant group of fomenting panic and spreading misinformation that led to the violence, though it provided no evidence to support the claim.
It said 19 people were trampled in a stampede and one person was fatally stabbed at a hub in the southern Gaza City of Khan Younis. Gaza’s Health Ministry and witnesses said GHF workers used tear gas against the crowd, inciting a panic. The ministry said that it was the first time people had been killed by a stampede at the aid sites.
It was also the first time that GHF has confirmed deaths at one of its distribution sites, although Palestinian witnesses, health officials and UN agencies say hundreds of people have been killed while heading to the hubs to get food.
Stun grenades, pepper spray caused chaos, witnesses say
Some witnesses said the crowd panicked after receiving messages that no aid would be distributed or would only be distributed later. Others said people became trapped while attempting to move through a turnstile system, which created a bottleneck.