US-backed Gaza aid group says all distribution sites closed after shootings

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later.

Dubai: A US and Israeli-backed group handing out aid in Gaza said on Friday all its distribution sites were closed until further notice, urging residents to stay away from these venues "for their safety" after a series of deadly shootings.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which last week started handing out meals to hungry Palestinians inside the war-shattered Gaza Strip, said that a reopening date would be announced later.

The GHF opened two sites in southern Gaza on Thursday after closing all of its centres the previous day in the wake of shootings in the vicinity of its operations. It has so far operated four distribution centres.

The organisation bypasses traditional relief agencies and has been criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations, for alleged lack of neutrality, which it denies.

GHF halted distributions on Wednesday and said it was pressing Israeli forces to improve civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its operations after dozens of Palestinians were shot dead near the Rafah site over three consecutive days.

The Israeli military said on Sunday and Monday that its soldiers had fired warning shots. On Tuesday, it said, forces also fired warning shots before firing towards Palestinians that it said were advancing towards troops. GHF has said that aid was safely handed out from its sites without any incident.

Israel has re-intensified an offensive against Gaza's dominant Hamas militant group since breaking a two-month-old ceasefire in March in a war triggered by Hamas' cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.