Palestinians testify that Israeli forces and local armed men described as allied with Israel opened fire near a food distribution in southern Gaza. Israel has recently admitted to supporting local armed groups opposed to Hamas.
Witness Heba Joda tells AP that the shooting occurred at an intersection about a kilometer from the distribution site. She saw men from the local militia called Abu Shabab, after its leader Yasser Abu Shabab, trying to organize the crowd to stand in line. When people pushed forward, they opened fire, she says.
The Palestinians allegedly threw stones at the militiamen, who then retreated to an Israeli military zone in Rafah, according to Joda.
Backfire
They shot directly at us, says Mohamed Kabaga to AP at Nasser's House near Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where he sought refuge after being hit in the neck.
Three more people at the hospital were treated for neck gunshot wounds, reports the news agency's journalist on the scene. According to Kabaga, there were around 50 masked militiamen on the scene.
Gaza's Hamas-controlled Health Ministry reports that six people were killed and around 100 injured.
Monday's shooting is the latest in a series near distribution points for aid where around 130 people are reported to have died and hundreds injured since a new system was introduced last month, where food is distributed through a private US-backed actor rather than international organizations.
The US-backed actor, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, says it does not cooperate with Abu Shabab. Israel has not commented on the AP reports.
Increased need
Over two weeks, around 1,200 trucks with aid have been allowed into Gaza, reports Israel's Foreign Ministry on X.
Before the war in Gaza, the region's approximately 2 million people needed around 500 trucks per day with items such as food, fuel, hygiene products, and medicine.
The need has increased since then, especially after the total blockade of supplies imposed by Israel on the region in the spring.
