
Israel Releases Drone Footage, Accuses Hamas of Causing Civilian Deaths at Rafah Aid Site
An strike near the aid distribution camp in Rafah, Gaza, on Sunday claimed the lives of at least 31 individuals. The IDF has blamed Hamas for the deaths and denies any role in the attack.
Israel has accused Hamas of planning the massacres of starving civilians and denied any role in the Sunday strike on an aid distribution site in Rafah, southern Gaza, which claimed the lives of at least 31 Palestinians.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which released drone footage of the incident, claimed that Hamas is doing “everything in its power” to prevent the local population in Gaza from receiving food.
“Gunmen in Gaza are seen shooting at civilians who are attempting to gather aid, according to drone footage.” The IDF posted an alleged video of the strike along with the statement, “Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza,” on X.
Following the attack, several assertions were made about the assailant. At first, it was said that the attack was carried out by Israel.
The US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operated the site, and according to Gaza’s health ministry, Israeli soldiers opened fire close to it. It added that everyone who died had been shot in the chest or head.
An official with the Palestine Red Crescent Society told CNN that the people had been shot by Israeli forces. However, it remained unclear who fired at the Palestinians, a medical representative told the media site. According to the official, the Israeli military controls the region. “It is still their responsibility whether they shoot or others who work for them,” the official stated.
No Israeli forces fired at the residents “near or within” the attack scene, according to the IDF, which denied the accusations. Additionally, the IDF called on media outlets should exercise caution when disseminating information from Hamas, calling some of it “false reports.”
Hamas has dubbed the killings of civilians as a “new massacre against hungry civilians”.
The shooting came hours after Hamas sent its reply to the US ceasefire proposal, which the latter termed as “unacceptable”.