Sun Gai, head of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, stated in Geneva on the 28th that a chaotic incident occurred on the 27th during the distribution of supplies by the privately run aid organization "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," supported by the United States and Israel. This chaos resulted in 47 Palestinians being injured, with most suspected to have been shot by Israeli military.
Sun Gai mentioned that a comprehensive assessment of the incident is still underway to confirm the extent of injuries, and the number of injured could rise.
He pointed out that this is a clear example of danger arising from the distribution of supplies under the conditions set by the "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation." He also expressed multiple concerns regarding the foundation's method of distributing supplies.
Eyewitnesses reported to the media that thousands of Palestinians gathered near a distribution center in Rafah, southern Gaza, on the 27th. The hungry crowd stormed the center, grabbing food packages and some equipment, including parts of the barbed wire fence. The scene momentarily went out of control.
The media office issued a statement that evening, stating that the Israeli military intervened by firing at the hungry civilians, resulting in 3 deaths, 46 injuries, and 7 missing persons.
Regardless, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement indicating that the military did not shoot at the humanitarian aid distribution center in Rafah. The army fired warning shots outside the center and subsequently managed to control the situation. Plans to continue food distribution are expected to proceed as scheduled.
The "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation" released a statement on the 26th, stating that several trucks of food were transported to distribution sites and began being distributed to the Palestinian population. The foundation aims to implement an aid distribution plan proposed by Israel. According to this plan, private companies will be responsible for aid efforts, transporting supplies to several so-called "secure distribution sites" in southern Gaza, excluding United Nations agencies and long-established aid organizations operating in Palestine. This plan has the support of the United States.