Aid distribution in Gaza was suspended after the US and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) stated that overcrowding had rendered it unsafe to continue operations, marking yet another setback for its troubled relief efforts.
Amid severe food shortages affecting the coastal enclave, clashes persisted in various regions of Gaza.
Local health authorities reported that 16 Palestinians were killed due to Israeli strikes, primarily in northern Gaza, while the Israeli army claimed that four of its soldiers lost their lives and five were injured in an explosion at a building in Khan Younis to the south.
In a day filled with mixed messages, the GHF initially declared its distribution sites in southern Gaza were closed, later indicating that food had indeed been distributed, before ultimately announcing its gates had to be closed as a precautionary measure.
Preparations get underway for Eid al-Adha, despite ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza
As Palestinians throughout war-torn Gaza commenced observance of Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s most significant holidays, Israeli forces continued military operations, asserting they were necessary to eradicate Hamas militants.
The Israeli military experienced a setback with the deaths of four soldiers in a booby-trapped building, raising the army’s death toll to eight since early June.
“It is a sad and difficult day,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in a press release.
The military earlier issued new evacuation orders for regions in and around Gaza City, cautioning of an impending assault.
Palestinians participate in a special morning prayer on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha festival
With numerous residential areas of Gaza reduced to ruins from months of conflict, residents held Eid al-Adha prayer services in open spaces, next to bombarded mosques and homes.
The United Nations has cautioned that the majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million population faces famine as a result of an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children experiencing acute malnutrition nearly tripling.
The GHF commenced food package distributions in Gaza at the end of May, implementing a new model of aid distribution that the United Nations claims is neither impartial nor neutral.
It halted operations on Wednesday and requested the Israeli military to reassess security protocols after hospital officials reported more than 80 fatalities and hundreds of injuries near distribution points between June 1-3.
Restrictions on movement
Eyewitness accounts attributed the shootings to Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military stated that it fired warning shots on two occasions and claimed to have shot at Palestinian “suspects” approaching their positions.
The army announced that Gazans could only access GHF distribution centers from 6 am to 6 pm.
Outside these hours, these routes are deemed a closed military zone.
“Entering it poses a significant risk to your life,” military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.
However, many Gazans reported having to walk for hours to reach the sites, necessitating travel long before dawn in order to have any chance of receiving food.
Palestinians described the distribution process as chaotic and poorly organized, citing that limited supplies have resulted in early morning crushes on access paths.
Displaced Palestinians walk along a road to receive humanitarian aid packages in Rafah
The GHF announced it had delivered 8,160 boxes of food, providing about 471,240 individual meals.
Since it began operations, the GHF has established three distribution sites, but only two have been operational in the past two days.
A planned site in northern Gaza has yet to open.
Hamas expresses readiness for ‘serious’ Gaza truce negotiations
Hamas’s chief negotiator stated that the group is prepared to engage in a new round of discussions aimed at achieving a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
Negotiator Khalil al-Hayya made this announcement during a speech marking the beginning of Eid al-Adha festivities, which is typically a joyous occasion on the Muslim calendar, yet many Gazans lament they will not be able to celebrate this year due to overwhelming shortages.
“We reaffirm our readiness for a new, serious round of negotiations aimed at achieving a permanent ceasefire agreement,” Mr. Hayya stated, adding that the group is in communication with mediators.
Negotiations for a new ceasefire have yet to produce a breakthrough since the last brief truce collapsed in March, following the resumption of Israeli operations in Gaza.
Israel and Hamas appeared close to an agreement late last month, but a deal was ultimately unachievable, with both sides accusing each other of sabotaging a US-supported proposal.
Discussions for a new ceasefire have yet to find success
International appeals for a negotiated ceasefire have intensified in recent weeks, especially as the humanitarian conditions in the devastated Palestinian territory have deteriorated.
The World Health Organization alerted that Gaza’s “health system is collapsing,” highlighting the perilous conditions faced by the Nasser and Al-Amal medical facilities – the “last two functioning public hospitals in Khan Younis,” where numerous displaced Gazans are seeking refuge.
“What is happening in Gaza is not a war. It’s a genocide being perpetrated by a highly prepared army against women and children,” stated Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has refrained from using the term genocide himself, pledged at a joint event with Mr. Lula to “increase pressure in coordination with the Americans to secure a ceasefire.”
France is set to co-host, alongside Saudi Arabia, a United Nations conference later this month in New York focused on a two-state solution to the conflict.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Israel of “further concrete actions” in response to its Gaza offensive and aid restrictions.
Israel’s latest military operations in Gaza follow the collapse of a two-month ceasefire in March.
The conflict erupted when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 individuals in Israel during a surprise assault in October 2023, also taking 251 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli reports.
In retaliation, Israel initiated a military campaign that has resulted in the deaths of over 54,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza.
