GHF says it’s unaware of IDF shootings outside its sites but urges investigation

Responding to a Haaretz report detailing the near-daily deadly shooting incidents outside of its distribution sites, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says in a statement that it is “not aware of any of these incidents.”

A member of one of the American security contractors working on the ground with GHF says that the US- and Israeli-backed organization is well aware of the shootings of hungry Palestinians seeking to pick up humanitarian assistance, even if it is not familiar with the exact details revealed in the Haaretz report

The GHF statement makes a point of asserting that the shootings have not taken place at or in the immediate vicinity of its distribution sites.

However, that’s because the IDF has been opening fire at Palestinians before they get to the immediate perimeter of the sites, claiming that Gazans strayed off approved access roads or used them when it is not approved.

GHF often doesn’t update the public on its Arabic Facebook page about a site opening until moments before. Other times, it announces a planned opening time ahead of time, only to open earlier due to crowding outside the sites. Accordingly, Gazans risk their lives to reach aid sites because they don’t know when they’ll be opened or if any aid will be there when they arrive.

GHF notes in its statement that the “IDF is tasked with providing safe passage for aid-seekers to all humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, including GHF,” its statement adds.

“These allegations are too grave to ignore and we therefore call on Israel to investigate them and transparently publish the results in a timely manner,” the statement says.