During the distribution in Rafah and Netzarim, there was shooting at the crowd queuing for food, with over 100 victims and 700 injured among the desperate people struggling to get some food, according to reports from the Red Cross and various agencies. The flow of victims to hospitals has been continuous.
Palestinian witnesses claim that Israeli tanks fired, while the IDF states that the stampede originated around the distribution trucks. Thousands of people, including many children, had flocked to the food distribution points, forced to converge at the same spot, enclosed by barriers. The crush to secure some food was appalling.
The controversial aid distribution is now no longer entrusted to the UN, but to an American NGO, the GHF, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The official reasons for the creation of the GHF are related to the accusation that Hamas is diverting aid intended for civilians, which the organization denies. The new mechanism involves the distribution of aid through a limited number of centers guarded by armed contractors, with the Israeli army patrolling the perimeters, but this solution has aroused strong criticism from the United Nations and many humanitarian organizations, which consider it a violation of humanitarian principles and an attempt to “weaponize aid.”
In a video broadcast by Agorà on YouTube, images of the crowd and American contractors firing into the air can be seen.
According to voices heard with their accents, many contractors would be Iraqi Arabs, not Americans, so GHF would have subcontracted the distribution.
Thus, yet another tragedy has unfolded, adding to the daily massacres, while Netanyahu and Hamas are reportedly facing difficult negotiations that have so far yielded no results.
Israel now controls 80 percent of the Gaza territory, and new settlements continue to be imposed in the West Bank. The Palestinian population is squeezed into an ever-shrinking strip of land, which has now become a deadly trap with no way out. In addition to the continuous and fierce bombings, famine has been added; life in Gaza is reduced to daily survival.
In Amman, Jordan, the visit of the Arab delegation initially planned in the Occupied Territories took place, and Israel was openly accused of not wanting peace at all. The delegation then took a clear stance and asked Europe for the recognition of Palestine.
Following the example of the Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez and other European leaders, French President Macron had already expressed himself recognizing the State of Palestine “as a moral duty,” receiving a harsh response from Israeli Defense Minister Katz, who, while in the West Bank inaugurating new settlements, said, “Macron’s words are worthless.”
While Israel is becoming increasingly isolated internationally, US Ambassador Huckabee in Israel strongly rejected the proposals of the French President, reiterating the United States’ support for Israel and contesting the timing and substance of Macron’s statements, incredibly suggesting that he “take the Palestinians to the French Riviera if he cares so much about them.” A masterpiece of diplomacy, in short.
The European Union, although occasionally speaking out against the war, meanwhile continues to supply Israel, without taking serious measures against a government that continues to consider the land of Palestine as their ancestral possession. The plan to annex the areas of the West Bank is practically already implemented, even though it is contrary to agreements. The settlers are increasingly aggressive, especially in recent times, now attacking Palestinian villages with a sense of impunity.
Sanctions against Israel are now more necessary than ever, as is reducing economic exchanges and blocking all arms supplies.
A clear stance came from the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, who, during his speech on Republic Day, declared, “The refusal to apply the rules of humanitarian law to the citizens of Gaza is unacceptable.”
Our President spoke of an entire population, “from children to the elderly,” reduced to starvation: “it is inhumane,” and called for an immediate ceasefire, reiterating the need for the Israeli army to allow access for humanitarian aid and international organizations. Mattarella, who also recalled the “right of Palestinians to a homeland within certain borders” and denounced the constant loss of their recognized territories, insisted that illegal occupation is not and will never be a justifiable security measure.
