An aid group in Gaza backed by Israel and the United States said that on Wednesday night a bus carrying some of its Palestinian workers was attacked by Hamas, leaving at least five people dead and others injured.
At the time of the attack, the bus was carrying about two dozen of the group’s workers and was en route to an aid distribution site in southern Gaza, according to a statement from the group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Some of the workers “may have been taken hostage,” it said, adding that it was still gathering information.
“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” said the foundation, which is run by American contractors. “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons, and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.”
The New York Times could not independently verify the attack. Hamas did not comment on the accusation that it had attacked workers from the group, and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The foundation said it held the militant group “fully responsible” for the deaths of “dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people.” The group called on the international community to condemn Hamas for the attack.
“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity,” it said.
The aid organization has repeatedly criticized Hamas, saying that for days it had “openly” threatened workers and civilians. On Saturday, the foundation said it was “impossible to proceed” with aid distribution because Hamas had menaced its staff.
Hamas has denied those accusations and has accused the aid group of lacking neutrality.
The report of a deadly assault on Wednesday on the aid group’s workers was the latest challenge for the widely criticized foundation, which has faced chaos at its distribution sites and violence nearby.
The new effort to distribute aid in Gaza was contentious even before the foundation began operations in late May.
The United Nations and many humanitarian organizations have accused Israel of “militarizing” aid distribution in Gaza, and have said the group was violating the international organizations’ principles of independence. They have warned that residents could face danger from the Israeli military as they sought food and other aid.
On Wednesday, health officials and emergency workers in Gaza said several people were killed and dozens of others injured in shootings in central Gaza near where the foundation had set up a distribution site. The Israeli military said its forces had fired warning shots in the area before dawn toward people they considered a threat, but it denied reports that soldiers had opened fire on civilians there during the day.
Nebal Farsakh, a spokeswoman for the Palestine Red Crescent Society, said at least some of the casualties had been a result of Israeli gunfire at civilians waiting for aid. She said most victims had injuries from shell fragments, although some also had bullet wounds.
The number of people killed and wounded, as reported by the Palestine Red Crescent Society and Gaza’s health ministry, ranged from a half-dozen to hundreds; precise figures could not be independently verified. It was also not clear if there had been more than one shooting in the area on Wednesday.
Officials with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said earlier Wednesday that they could not confirm the pre-dawn shootings since the aid distribution center was closed at the time, and they were not near the aid center. The center opened later Wednesday.
The foundation has sought to distance itself from violence near its sites and from the Israeli military, whose troops are stationed nearby. The organization has repeatedly cautioned the news media “not to confuse the public by reporting on G.H.F. operations in the same breath as Israeli military operations far removed from distribution sites.”
Still, the foundation was conceived by Israelis and has the support of Israel’s government, which has long accused Hamas of looting aid intended for civilians. The United Nations has said there was no evidence that the militants has systematically diverted aid, though it has had problems with trucks being looted amid what it says is a widespread breakdown of law and order in the war-torn enclave.
In March, Israel imposed a roughly 80-day blockade on humanitarian assistance entering the enclave. Aid organizations suspended their operations, food stockpiles dwindled, the price of food skyrocketed, and humanitarian groups warned of mass privation and hunger.
Hamas has called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation “nothing more than a propaganda front for the Israeli occupation army.”
In it statement, the foundation said, “Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”
Ephrat Livni is a Times reporter covering breaking news around the world. She is based in Washington.
The post Gaza Aid Group Says Hamas Attacked Its Palestinian Workers appeared first on New York Times.
