Middle East war

Several people killed again during aid distribution

There are again reports of deaths and injuries during the distribution of aid in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported on Saturday of gunfire and mass panic. At least five people were reportedly killed and 30 others injured.

On Saturday morning, thousands of people had gathered at a traffic circle in Gaza before the arrival of around 15 loaded trucks. Eyewitnesses reported that shots were fired into the air by people who were supposed to supervise the distribution. Israeli forces are also said to have fired. Other people were run over by trucks while trying to reach food.

Videos show a convoy of trucks moving quickly in the darkness past burning rubble near the distribution point, while gunfire and screams can be heard. The Israeli military said it had no information about the incident.

Help from Cyprus on the way
The traffic circle in Gaza has already been the scene of several fatal incidents in recent weeks during the distribution of aid. Today, Saturday, a shipment from Cyprus made its way to the Palestinian territory. The US aid organization World Central Kitchen and the Spanish aid organization Open Arms want to transport almost 400 tons of aid supplies to the war zone in this way. The ship is carrying rice, pasta, flour, pulses and canned food, among other things. In mid-March, 200 tons of relief supplies from the two aid organizations arrived in the Gaza Strip, with the Israeli army supervising the unloading.

The cargo ship "Jennifer" and two tugboats will be underway for around 65 hours. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health care in the Gaza Strip is no longer guaranteed. "Around 9,000 patients urgently need to be taken abroad to receive life-saving care," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Platform X. Only ten hospitals in the war zone were still "minimally functioning." Before the war, there were 36.

Israel's government accuses the radical Islamic group Hamas of having military bases under hospitals and using civilians as human shields. Military operations are therefore being carried out in hospitals (see video above).