The food distribution was announced in advance, as has been the pattern, through a social media post featuring an illustration of smiling Palestinians receiving aid packages.
This particular announcement from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), however, notably featured illustrations of only women.
“Tomorrow at our morning distribution at our location in the Saudi district, only women are welcome to come and receive a food box,” the GHF post stated. “Men should avoid the site during this distribution.”
Mary Sheikh al-Eid, a mother of seven whose husband had been killed earlier in the conflict, was determined to secure food for her children. Her sister, Khawla, reported that the family had subsisted on lentil soup for three weeks, with the past week proving especially challenging.
“Her children and mine told us not to go,” Khawla recounted to the BBC. “Mary told me she wanted to because it was a day for women and the numbers wouldn’t be big.”
The GHF’s food aid distribution system has been plagued by recurring scenes of chaos and violence since its inception in May, with backing from both Israeli and US entities.
Large crowds are compelled to traverse considerable distances into Israeli military zones, entering fenced compounds overseen by private security contractors and Israeli troops. Palestinian men have largely borne the risk, vying for a food box for their families.
For Gaza’s two million residents, a mere four GHF distribution sites exist, with typically only two operational on any given day.
On Thursday, sisters Mary and Khawla departed early for the aid distribution point in the southern Rafah area. Upon arrival, they encountered a scene already mired in disarray.
“There was a huge crowd of women and the place seemed out of control; they couldn’t offload and distribute the aid,” Khawla described. “They started spraying the women with pepper spray, then they brought stun grenades and started throwing them on the women to force them backwards.”
The sisters were separated amidst the pandemonium. Khawla, affected by the pepper spray, contacted her sister to arrange a meeting at their brother’s residence.
Shortly thereafter, she called again, sensing something amiss.
“This time a stranger picked up, he told me the owner of the phone was shot and was being taken to the Red Cross [field hospital],” Khawla stated.
“I called again and this time I was told she was shot in the head. I ran like crazy and called again, but this time I was told the owner of this phone had been killed.”
Since the GHF aid system’s establishment in late May, the UN reports that over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli military forces while attempting to obtain aid, primarily near GHF distribution sites, as well as UN and other aid convoys.
On Friday, a former US soldier who collaborated with the GHF testified to witnessing Israeli troops and security contractors firing upon civilian crowds.
Anthony Aguilar told the BBC he had never seen such a level of “brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population”.
Israel has stated previously that its troops have fired “warning shots” and that it was implementing “lessons learned.” It accuses Hamas of fomenting chaos near aid distribution points and disputes the reported death toll.
Medical personnel at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis confirmed that Mary Sheikh al-Eid succumbed to a bullet wound to the neck, becoming one of two women confirmed killed on Thursday’s designated “women’s day.”
The BBC also spoke with the family of the second woman killed, Khadija Abu Anza.
Her sister, Samah, who was present, stated that they were en route to a GHF aid site when an Israeli tank and troops arrived.
From a close distance of only meters, the troops initiated the encounter by firing warning shots as they ordered them to retreat, Samah conveyed on Friday.
“We started walking back and then she was hit by the bullet,” Samah said. “They shot her in the neck and she died immediately.”
“I tried to carry her and her blood fell on me, a man helped me carry her to Nasser hospital. The aid point was opened right after they shot her and they let people go in.”
In response to the BBC, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they had “identified suspects who approached them, posing a threat to the troops” and “fired warning shots” early on Thursday, but added that they were unaware of casualties.
The IDF maintained that the shots were fired “hundreds of meters away” from the distribution site, prior to its opening hours.
Prior to May, UN agencies, international organizations, and charities comprised the primary aid providers to Gaza’s population through 400 distribution sites across the territory.
The introduction of the GHF system has garnered criticism from within the aid community, viewed by many as an attempt to undermine the pre-existing humanitarian framework and augment Israeli control over food distribution within Gaza, thereby compelling individuals into hazardous military zones. The UN has formally declined to cooperate with the GHF system, deeming it unethical.
Recent days have witnessed widespread condemnation from numerous European governments and aid organizations regarding Israel’s control over food deliveries to Gaza.
Israel contends that it implemented the GHF system due to Hamas’ alleged diversion and profiteering from aid under the previous United Nations-led system, though substantiating evidence demonstrating this occurring on a systematic basis has not been furnished.
Daily reports of deaths resulting from malnutrition are accelerating in Gaza. Humanitarian officials emphasize the necessity of an influx of aid to the region to avert a complete collapse.
Under international law, Israel, as the occupying military power in Gaza, bears the responsibility of safeguarding civilian life, which includes ensuring access to food for survival. However, Israel has attributed the current shortages to Hamas and aid agencies, while simultaneously continuing to support the GHF distribution model.
“I pray to God they get shut down; they are death traps,” stated Mary’s sister, Khawla. “She went to get food for her children, but she returned by people carrying her body.”
Additional reporting by the BBC’s freelance Gaza team and BBC Verify’s Mohamed Shalaby
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