The controversial US and Israeli-backed aid distributor in Gaza has accused Hamas of a deadly attack on a bus carrying Palestinians working with the organisation.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has said at least five aid workers were killed and it fears some team members “may have been taken hostage”.

The aid organisation also said multiple people were injured in the alleged attack.

In a statement, the GHF has said the bus was carrying more than two dozen people working with the organisation when it was targeted at 10pm Gaza time (8pm UK time) on Wednesday.

The GHF said those in the bus were “local Palestinians” working with the organisation to “deliver critical aid”.

“At the time of the attack, our team was en route to one of our distribution centres in the area west of Khan Younis”, the GHF added.

It continued in its statement: “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage.

“We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms. These were aid workers.”

The GHF also said in its statement that Hamas has in recent days been threatening members of the organisation, including aid workers, and civilians who have been receiving the aid.

The organisation said it holds Hamas fully responsible for “taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”.

“Tonight, the world must see this for what it is: an attack on humanity. We call on the international community to immediately condemn Hamas for this unprovoked attack and continued threat against our people simply trying to feed the Palestinian people,” the GHF said.

“We will release additional information once it becomes available. Despite this heinous attack, we will continue our mission to provide critical aid to the people of Gaza.”

Read more:
How the Israeli-backed aid plan in Gaza is unravelling
Two Israeli ministers who have been sanctioned by the UK?

The alleged attack came hours after health officials in Gaza said at least 25 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire at a GHF site close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City.

Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site.

Gaza’s health ministry said earlier this week that around 160 people have been killed in shootings near aid sites run by the GHF since they began distributing aid on 26 May.

However, the GHF has said there has been no violence in or around the distribution centres themselves.

Why is the aid system controversial?

Israel and the US have said the GHF system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.

Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.

The foundation’s distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.

Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it 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.

Jake Wood, a former US marine, resigned as head of the GHF in May before it began distributing aid in Gaza over concerns about is independence.

Mr Wood said the foundation cannot adhere to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon”.

As the first light breaks across a quiet beach near Dunkirk, a human tide begins to move.

Dozens of migrants, many with children, rush across the sand toward the water’s edge.

French police are present, but they do not intervene.

For many of these men, women, and children, this moment marks the final chapter of a journey that began months ago, fleeing war, persecution, and economic collapse in countries as far afield as Iran, Eritrea, and Sudan.

Now, they face the potentially deadly crossing to the UK in a flimsy inflatable boat.

We watched as one vessel emerged from an inland waterway already crowded with people.

The vessel is soon dangerously overloaded.

Floating haphazardly, a baby is yanked onto the boat, as they yell out for more people to climb aboard.

Despite the dinghy taking on water – scooped out with a shoe – the crossing continues.

On the shore, police officers stood by, watching.

When I asked why no attempt was made to intervene, one officer said: “It’s for their safety.

“There are children there. We’re not going to throw grenades at them. It’s inhumane. But it’s sad.”

French police protocol, along with international law, makes such interventions legally and morally complex once boats are afloat – especially when families are involved.

Despite millions spent by the UK government to curb these crossings, the numbers continue to rise.

As of the latest count, almost 15,000 people have already made the perilous journey across the Channel this year. Many more are expected this summer as the weather window widens.

In the makeshift camps near Dunkirk, migrants wait their turn for the smugglers to signal that conditions are right.

Ali Reza told us he fled Iran after converting to Christianity. He dreams of reaching Britain, where he hopes to claim asylum.

He said: “Britain is good and accepts refugees. It has good behaviour for refugees.

“I think I’ll get a good welcome. Many Iranian people go to Britain. There’s good behaviour.”

Read more from Sky News:
Spending review: The key announcements
Three-day thunderstorm warning issued for parts of the UK

Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

Back on the beach, not everyone manages to get aboard. The boat taxi service is in high demand.

Among the group, a woman from Eritrea spoke with me briefly.

Although she missed today’s crossing, she vowed to try again later in the week.

At least 25 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli gunfire at a US-backed humanitarian aid site in Gaza, according to health officials.

Medical officials at Shifa and al Quds hospitals say the people were killed as they approached the site – operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Dozens more were injured at the scene close to the former settlement of Netzarim, near Gaza City, medical officials from the Hamas-run territory added.

It comes just a day after Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed close to another GHF site in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Health officials said at least another six people were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached a GHF site in Rafah on Wednesday.

Ten other people were also killed on Wednesday by Israeli strikes in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, according to officials.

The Israeli military said its forces fired warning shots towards suspects who were advancing and which it claimed posed a threat to the troops in the area of Netzarim.

“This is despite warnings that the area is an active combat zone. The IDF is aware of reports regarding individuals injured. The details are under review,” it added.

Follow The World

Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday

Tap to follow

A total of 163 people have been killed and more than 1,000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the GHF since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

It comes as the US ambassador to Israel said he does not think an independent Palestinian state remains a foreign policy for the Trump administration.

Mike Huckabee’s comments to Bloomberg News prompted the White House to say he spoke for himself.

When asked if a Palestinian state remains a US goal, Mr Huckabee said: “I don’t think so.”

Read more:
‘Dozens killed’ near food distribution centre in Gaza
UK government sanctions Israeli ministers for ‘inciting violence’

Asked about Mr Huckabee’s comments, the White House referred to remarks earlier this year by Donald Trump when he pledged an American takeover of Gaza – a proposal which was condemned globally.

Rights groups, Arab states, Palestinians and the UN said such a move amounted to “ethnic cleansing”.