The Japan Times - US-backed group extends closure of Gaza aid sites

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) closed its aid distribution centres after a string of deadly incidents near sites it operates that drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations.

Israeli bombardment on Wednesday killed at least 48 people across the Gaza Strip, including 14 in a single strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, the civil defence agency said.

A day earlier, the civil defence and the International Committee of the Red Cross said 27 people were killed when Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF site in southern Gaza. The military said the incident was under investigation.

Britain called for an "immediate and independent investigation", echoing a demand from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

UK Middle East Minister Hamish Falconer said the deaths of Palestinians as they sought food were "deeply disturbing", calling Israel's new measures for aid delivery "inhumane".

Israel recently eased its blockade of Gaza, but the United Nations says the territory's entire population remains at risk of famine.

- UN vote -

The GHF originally said it was closing aid distribution sites in Gaza on Wednesday for "renovation" and that they would reopen Thursday.

But the group said late Wednesday that its facilities would not open at the regular time Thursday, without clarifying when they would resume service.

"Our distribution sites will not open early tomorrow morning as in previous days due to ongoing maintenance and repair work," it wrote on social media.

"We will share information about opening times as soon as work is complete."

The Israeli army warned against travelling "on roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones".

The GHF said it was working to made aid distribution "as safe as possible" and urged those travelling to its sites to "follow the routes designated" by the Israeli army.

The GHF, officially a private effort with opaque funding, began operations a week ago. The UN and major aid groups have declined to work with it, citing concerns it serves Israeli military goals.

Israeli authorities and the GHF, which uses contracted US security, have denied allegations the army shot at civilians rushing to pick up aid packages.

Food shortages in Gaza have propelled fresh international calls for an end to the war, but a truce between Israel and Hamas remains elusive.

The United States, Israel's key ally, used its veto power at the UN Security Council on Wednesday to block a resolution calling for a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump, posting on social media: "That is the only way to destroy the Hamas terrorists" holding hostages in Gaza.

Hamas condemned the veto as "disgraceful" and accused Washington of "legitimising genocide" in Gaza.

- 'War crime' -

The Israeli military maintains that its forces do not prevent Gazans from collecting aid.

Army spokesperson Effie Defrin said the Israeli soldiers had fired towards suspects who "were approaching in a way that endangered" the troops.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called attacks against civilians "unconscionable", and said they "constitute a grave breach of international law and a war crime".

The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile said Gazans face an "unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents".

- Activists' boat -

Scenes of hunger in Gaza have also sparked fresh solidarity with Palestinians, and a boat organised by an international activist coalition was sailing toward Gaza, aiming to deliver aid.

The boat from the Freedom Flotilla Coalition departed Sicily on Sunday carrying a dozen people, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, along with fruit juices, milk, tinned food and protein bars.

Israel's military said it stood ready to "protect" the country's maritime space, with army spokesman Defrin saying "we are prepared" to handle the flotilla, without elaborating.

In response, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition said it "strongly condemns Israel's declared intent to attack" the boat, calling it a "threat".

Israel has stepped up its offensive in Gaza in what it says is a renewed push to defeat the Palestinian group Hamas, whose October 2023 attack sparked the war.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 4,335 people have been killed since Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,607, mostly civilians.

Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, also mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

The army said three of its soldiers had been killed in northern Gaza, bringing the number of Israeli troops killed in the territory since the start of the war to 424.

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Y.Ishikawa--JT