Twenty-seven Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire while waiting for aid to be distributed, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
They were reportedly killed in the Rafah area of southern Gaza early on Tuesday.
The Hamas-run ministry claimed that more than 90 people were injured in what it called a “massacre”, with some of the wounded in a serious condition.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it fired “near a few individual suspects” who left the designated route, approached its forces and ignored warning shots, about half a kilometre from the aid distribution site of the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). It added that people were moving towards its forces in a way that “posed a threat to them”.
Later, IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said accusations that the Israeli military shot at civilians were “completely unfounded and false”.
“We are debriefing this event, and we will find out the truth,” he added.
The media office of the Gaza government, which is run by Hamas, said in a statement that Israel was transforming aid distribution centres “into mass death traps and bloodbaths” with 102 people killed and 490 more injured in just eight days since the centres opened on 27 May.
The aid centres were “luring starving civilians to them as a result of the crippling famine”, said the media office, which called for humanitarian aid delivered through UN agencies and neutral international organisations rather than the GHF.
Image: A woman reacts following the death of Palestinians near a aid distribution site in Rafah. Pic: Reuters
Image: A child at the funeral of Palestinians killed in alleged Israeli fire. Pic: Reuters
The IDF said in a statement: “Earlier today (Tuesday), during the movement of the crowd along the designated routes toward the aid distribution site – approximately half a kilometre from the site – IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes.
“The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops.”
Sky News pressed Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer on whether any of these individuals had weapons – but he failed to answer the question.
Mencer told Sky’s Kamali Melbourne: “The warning shots were fired away from the aid distribution point in response to the threat perceived by IDF troops.”
The GHF said in a statement on Tuesday: “While the aid distribution was conducted safely and without incident at our site today, we understand that IDF is investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone. This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area.
“We recognise the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when travelling to our distribution sites. Questions regarding the potential incident should be referred to the IDF Spokesperson.”
How can Israel know who is getting aid amid chaos?
The Israeli government says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is supposed to prevent aid from going to Hamas. That’s almost certainly not being achieved.
The operation is in chaos – every morning tens of thousands of people make the journey south on foot to get food when the two hubs open after dawn.
It’s first come, first served. It’s the survival of the fittest in a place where almost everyone is already starving.
The pictures of massive crowds grabbing food boxes in a frenzied manner aren’t just an indication of the desperation, but would also appear to undermine Israel’s claims the aid isn’t going to Hamas.
Amid the chaos and thousands of people (mostly men) scrabbling for aid, how could they possibly know who is getting it?
The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties. A spokesperson added that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after.
There were three children and two women among the dead, according to Mohammed Saqr, who is the head of nursing at Nasser Hospital in Gaza.
How is aid being distributed in Gaza?
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) launched its first aid distribution sites at the end of May to combat widespread hunger among the population in Gaza.
The GHF, a private group endorsed by Israel, operates as part of a controversial new aid system established by Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that Israel would be “taking control of food distribution” in Gaza after it accused Hamas of diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied stealing aid.
GHF’s aid plan has been criticised by UN agencies and established charities, which have refused to work with the new distribution system.
The UN and major aid groups said the aid plan violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
The IDF said in a statement that the GHF “operate(s) independently in order to enable the distribution of aid to the Gazan residents – and not to Hamas”.
It also highlighted that Israeli troops were “not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites”.
Israel has said it ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics groups to bring aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites.
There have been repeated reports of Palestinians being killed near Rafah as they gathered at the aid distribution site to get desperately needed supplies.
A spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights, Jeremy Laurence, said: “For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’.”
Mr Laurence’s office said the impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as “unconscionable”.
Image: An ambulance outside Nasser hospital in Gaza, where people allegedly injured by Israeli fire were taken
Image: Palestinians arriving at Nasser hospital following alleged Israeli fire near an aid distribution site
The alleged shooting comes just two days after reports that 31 people were killed as they walked to a distribution centre run by the GHF in the Rafah area.
Witnesses said the deaths came after Israeli forces opened fire, while Palestinian and Hamas-linked media attributed the deaths they reported to an Israeli airstrike.
The IDF later said its forces “did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false”.
He called for an independent investigation and said: “It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food.”
Image: Two women cry during the funeral of Palestinians killed early Tuesday. Pic: Reuters
Image: Palestinians arrived to collect aid from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation hub in Rafah last week. File pic: Reuters
The IDF said that three of its soldiers were killed in Gaza on Monday, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on Israeli forces since the ceasefire with Hamas ended in March.
Officials said the soldiers, all in their early 20s, died in northern Gaza, with Israeli media reporting that they were killed in an explosion in the Jabaliya area.
Last week, Israel accepted a US-brokered ceasefire proposal, which would see the release over the course of a week of nine living hostages and half of the known hostages who have died.
When Benjamin Netanyahu lands back in Israel, he will be hit by a wall of opinions. Some people are full of praise for the deal he has helped to construct, others hate it. Nobody is indifferent.
Among those who are spitting fury are members of his own cabinet.
Both come from the uncompromising political far right; both think that compromise is a sign of weakness; both were utterly outraged at the idea of the prime minister apologising to Qatar for the attack on Doha.
Image: Israeli forces have been carrying out an offensive in Gaza City. Pic: Reuters
Ben-Gvir said that, far from being a source of shame, it had been “an important, just and supremely moral attack… Qatar is a state that supports terrorism, funds terrorism and incites terrorism”.
Smotrich, as if ever worried at being outdone, compared Netanyahu with Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of the Nazis, saying his “grovelling apology” was a “disgrace”.
Can either of these men really keep serving in a cabinet with Netanyahu? And if not, how long before the government collapses?
That wouldn’t imperil the peace plan – if it survives – because it will have the support of enough opposition parties to be passed into law.
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2:40
Trump announces ‘Board of Peace’
But it would hasten a new general election, where Netanyahu would try to portray himself as the statesman who brought back the hostages (if he does) while his rivals would paint him as the man who let October 7 happen on his watch.
But in the short term, Netanyahu’s plan has plenty of fans in Israel. President Isaac Herzog applauded it and so did the forum representing the families of the hostages.
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Witkoff ‘hopeful’ on Gaza plan
Leaders from Arab countries have all said they welcome it, albeit they have, unanimously, given the credit to Donald Trump, rather than the Israeli prime minister.
But then the applause dwindles. From Hamas, the initial reaction was telling – the plan hadn’t even been sent to them before it was announced to the world. And without their buy-in, what does a deal look like? Can it even work?
They say they can’t sign up to anything that does not include Palestinian self-determination. Which this, pointedly, doesn’t.
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And remember – Hamas have the hostages. For all the implicit threats made by Trump about what would happen if Hamas don’t sign up to this deal, the return of the hostages is the point that most loudly resonates with the Israeli public.
If Hamas don’t like the deal, they won’t return the hostages.
Image: Tony Blair will be an unwelcome inclusion for many on the Palestinian side
As for the governance of Gaza – there is precious little support among Palestinians for a Trump/Blair leadership team.
“Tony Blair is a war criminal who should be in The Hague, not Gaza,” said Mustafa Barghouti, the veteran politician who has been on the Palestinian Legislative Council for nearly two decades.
And that’s an opinion I’ve heard echoed more than once.
There are more negotiations to come. “I’ll believe it when it happens,” one military figure said to me, wearily. “I’m more confident than before,” said another source, “but before I wasn’t confident at all.”
Nobody is getting too excited, too early, and there are hurdles to overcome and concessions to be made. But there is a chance that things might happen, and if they do, they might happen fast.
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supports Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza – but what does it actually say, and will it work?
The document lays out what the Trump administration calls a “comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict”, consisting of 20 points.
Here are some of the key clauses and what our correspondents make of them…
Gaza ‘to be redeveloped for’ its people
The first two points say Gaza will become “a deradicalised terror-free zone” and “redeveloped for the benefit of” the enclave’s people – but the role they’ll have is unclear, says US correspondent Mark Stone.
“Beyond Hamas, there is no defined role for the Palestinians beyond vague assurances that they can take over once reform has taken place,” he explained.
Stone also highlighted that “a central part of the plan is missing – Hamas”.
“Like it or not, this plan cannot proceed without their buy-in,” he said. “And, as has always been the case, their agreement to this plan would amount to suicide for their movement.
“The bet by the Trump administration and by the Israeli government is that Hamas is now so diminished and exhausted as an organisation that they will be forced to accept it. But I remain unconvinced.”
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he supports the plan while Hamas said on Monday night it was yet to receive and study it in full. A broad spectrum of middle eastern countries have welcomed the initiative.
Tony Blair to be on the ‘Board of Peace’
The plan states that a temporary governing board will be put in charge of Gaza and just one person has so far been confirmed to join Donald Trump on what he’s calling the ‘Board of Peace’: Sir Tony Blair.
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“Sir Tony Blair has been one of the key architects of this peace plan,” he said. “It’s a Blair blueprint to a large extent, he went to the White House to discuss it August.”
Sir Tony “gets on well” with Mr Netanyahu, he added. The former British PM’s experience in the Middle East goes back nearly 30 years and he was previously involved in talks with then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in the 1990s.
“From President Trump’s point of view, and indeed Benjamin Netanyahu’s, it makes sense because [Blair] is an experienced negotiator and go-between power broker in the Middle East,” Craig said.
All hostages to be released
The plan states that within 72 hours of the agreement being accepted, “all hostages, alive and deceased will be returned”.
A total of 48 hostages are still being held captive by Hamas and Israel believes about 20 of them are still alive.
Image: Israeli protesters in Tel Aviv calling for a ceasefire last month. Pic: AP
“I think Netanyahu’s gamble is that he will be seen as a statesman,” he said, “if he can bring home the hostages and do that deal, stop the casualties being suffered by the Israeli military, [and] stop the increasing… anger over the number of people who are being killed by Israeli bombardments in Gaza.”
The draft agreement states that once the hostages have been released, Israel will release 1,950 Palestinian prisoners, including all women and children who were detained after 7 October 2023.
“For every Israeli hostage whose remains are released, Israel will release the remains of 15 deceased Gazans,” it adds.
What are the other key points?
Some of the other significant guarantees include a promise that nobody will be forced to leave the Strip, and that Israel will not occupy or annex Gaza.
The document also states that full aid” will “proceed without interference […] through the UN, its agencies, the Red Crescent and other international institutions”.
What happens if Hamas does not accept the plan?
Hamas has not been given a deadline to agree to the offer, says Mark Stone – adding that “there are hints already that they are not inclined to accept it in its current format”.
One Hamas leader, Mahmoud Mardawi, is already being quoted in Middle Eastern media outlets as saying: “We will not accept any proposal that does not include self-determination for the Palestinian people and protect them from massacres.”
“If that line holds then the Israelis will be unleashed,” Stone said, pointing out something Mr Trump said to Mr Netanyahu at Monday’s news conference.
“Bibi, you’d have our full backing to do what you would have to do,” he told him.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has signed a decree to give himself increased security powers should the US military enter the country.
The move, announced by the nation’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez on Monday, comes as tensions continue to escalate between the two countries.
Mr Maduro has publicly alleged US President Donald Trump and his administration are plotting to oust him.
The decree would allow Mr Maduro to mobilise armed forces throughout the country and give the military authority over public services and the oil industry.
It comes after the US deployed a fleet of warships through the Caribbean, which Washington says is to combat drug trafficking through the region.
The US has also, in recent weeks, struck several boats it claims were carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela, killing those on board.
The legality of this has been questioned by experts.
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‘Drug boat’ hit in strike by US military
Mr Maduro has privately attempted to reconcile with Mr Trump. He sent a letter to his counterpart earlier this month offering to engage in direct talks.
Claims that Venezuela played a big role in drug trafficking have been rejected my Mr Maduro, who says he wants the relationship with the US to be “historic and peaceful”.
However, US military officials are drawing up plans to target drug traffickers in Venezuela, Sky News’ US partner network NBC reported on Friday.
Ms Rodriguez said: “What the US government, what warlord Marco Rubio is doing against Venezuela, is a threat.”
Venezuela’s military has carried out training exercises with volunteer militia members in recent days.
Soldiers have been teaching members of the public to handle weapons for what leaders call a possible US incursion.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters news agency.
The powers granted to Mr Maduro would be valid for a 90-day period, with the option to renew for a further 90 days, according to the nation’s constitution.