More deaths as Gaza aid plan descends into chaos

Israeli military admits to firing warning shots as starving Palestinians stampede US-backed centre. Nedal Hamdouna from the Gaza Strip and Bel Trew report on the emergency

- Bel Trew

Starving Palestinians desperate for food say Israeli helicopter gunships and tanks fired around crowds gathered at a new food distribution site in Gaza, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial “aid” plan descended into chaos.

Gaza’s health ministry said at least one person was killed and 48 wounded in violence on Tuesday when desperate crowds overran the site in Rafah, south of the besieged Strip. It was set up by a US-backed foundation, military contractors and the Israeli military whose soldiers reportedly opened fire.

Hospital officials said that four people died in a separate stampede on Wednesday when hundreds of Palestinians stormed a United Nations food warehouse in an equally desperate attempt to find food.

And yesterday, Israel's government approved 22 new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank – illegal under international law – in a move that will deepen divisions with some allies, including the UK. Israel continues to face widespread international condemnation for its actions, and this week’s events have been no different.

“Because of the large number of people, they collided with each other,” said Ahmed Shaker, 30, describing the chaos in Rafah on Tuesday as he tried to get food for his family. “The intensity of the stampede increased until the fence separating the barriers collapsed. A quadcopter came and started firing around us.”

The father-of-three’s home was destroyed in the bombings. He has been displaced four times and was trying to get food for his one-year-old baby and two toddler daughters. “Then the tank approached and started firing near the people,” he continued. “The bullets were hitting the sand. Then the Apache helicopter came and fired toward the sea.”