International Red Cross Committee's field hospital in southern Gaza is on its knees. Physiotherapists clean wounds, cleaners carry stretchers and function as nursing assistants. Midwives have to devote themselves to palliative care.
Since the American Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), with the support of Israel, took control of all distribution of emergency aid in Gaza in May, the hospital has treated more than 2,200 "weapon-injured" patients. The majority of them are reported to have been injured in over 20 separate "mass injury incidents". Since May, 200 people have died.
"The scope and frequency of these incidents are unprecedented," says the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC) in a statement.
GHF's controversial and chaotic food distributions have been marked by reports of deadly shootings.
"Field of death"
Swedish intensive care physician Märit Halmin, on site in southern Gaza, told on Monday that she treated a father who was shot in the abdomen at the same moment as he received a food box.
From what I've heard here, there have been no gunshot wounds before, but rather in the last few weeks in connection with food distribution, she said to Svenska Dagbladet.
In the war-torn and increasingly desperate Gaza, the distributions attract enormous crowds to relatively small areas near Israeli forces. The distributions take place according to a "first come, first served" principle where the food runs out on average in nine minutes, according to Sky News.
Over 500 people have been killed at or near the distribution sites, the UN Human Rights Office OHCHR reported on Friday. In a stream of reports, Israeli forces and American GHF employees are accused of opening fire on the crowds.
"Think you hit one"
For Israeli Haaretz describes a soldier the areas around the aid centers as "fields of death" where the crowds are controlled by artillery fire.
In a survey by news agency AP, two American GHF employees tell how they use live ammunition and distraction grenades against Palestinians. The hired staff is described as "unqualified" and heavily armed - and seemingly allowed to do as they please. A video in the news agency's review shows an armed GHF employee discussing how a gathering of Palestinians should be dispersed. Shortly after, several shots are heard.
I think you hit one, a voice says in the video.
Hell yeah, boy, another replies.
The Israeli army and GHF have denied that they intentionally shoot aid seekers. The military has said that it has fired warning shots at people who have approached their forces in a suspicious manner.
The places where food is distributed are located within the Israeli military's areas, where independent media - just like in the rest of Gaza - are not allowed to enter.
Mia Holmberg Karlsson/TT
Facts: Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
TT
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) is an organization that the US, with the support of Israel, launched in May.
The idea is that GHF will handle all distribution of food, medicine, and other aid to war-torn Gaza, where almost the entire population is at risk of starvation due to Israel's previous total blockade of emergency aid for two months.
Israel excludes the UN and other established organizations, citing that previous aid routes have led to Hamas and other terrorist-classified groups being able to grab them. No evidence of this has been presented.
The foundation's CEO, Jake Wood, left his post shortly after the start, citing that the work could not be carried out according to humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
The current CEO is American Johnnie Moore, a pastor and businessman with close ties to President Donald Trump, who previously dismissed reports of deaths at distribution sites as "fictional massacres".
