An Israeli attack near an aid distribution point run by a private U.S.-based group killed at least 31 people in Gaza on June 1, local health authorities said, as Hamas and Israel exchanged blame over a faltering effort to secure a ceasefire.
The incident in Rafah in the south of the enclave was the latest in a series underscoring the volatile security situation that has complicated aid delivery to Gaza, following the easing of an almost three-month Israeli blockade last month.
"There are martyrs and injuries. Many injuries. It is a tragic situation in this place. I advise them that nobody goes to aid delivery points. Enough,” paramedic Abu Tareq said at Nasser Hospital in nearby Khan Younis city.
The Palestinian Red Crescent, affiliated with the international Red Cross, said its medical teams had recovered bodies of 23 Palestinians and treated another 23 injured near an aid collection site in Rafah. The U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates the aid distribution sites in Rafah.
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