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A month into Gaza's new aid system - killings, gunfire and chaos are routine


In the four weeks since the launch of a controversial US- and Israeli-backed aid system in Gaza, there have been repeated incidents of killings and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid.

According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, in the past month more than 500 people on their way to get aid have been killed and 4,000 injured.

To get a clearer understanding of how the last month has unfolded, N F Verify has analysed dozens of videos from across Gaza that offer an insight into what this aid system looked like on the ground. Footage shows a near-daily cycle of chaos, panic, live gunfire and dead or injured Palestinians.

While the videos show an overall picture of danger and chaos, they do not definitively show who is responsible for firing in each incident. However in many cases, eyewitnesses and medics have described Israeli forces opening fire on crowds near aid sites.

In statements over the past month, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have several times said they fired "warning shots" at individuals who they described as "suspects" or said posed a threat.

The IDF has told N F Verify that Hamas does "everything in its power to prevent the success of food distribution in Gaza, tries to disrupt aid, and directly harms the citizens of the Gaza Strip".

On 18 May Israel announced it was partially easing its 11-week long blockade of aid into Gaza, which it had said was aimed at putting pressure on Hamas to release hostages.

The IDF built four aid distribution sites - three in the far south-west of Gaza and one in central Gaza by an Israel security zone known as the Netzarim Corridor - which began operations on 26 May.

These sites in IDF-controlled areas - known as SDS 1, 2, 3 and 4 - are operated by security contractors working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), with the Israeli military securing the routes to them and the perimeters. On Thursday the US State Department announced $30m (£22m; €26m) in funding for the GHF - the first known direct contribution to the group.

From the start the UN condemned the plan, saying it would "militarise" aid, bypass the existing distribution network and force Gazans to make long journeys through dangerous territory to get food.

Within days of the plan starting, dozens of Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on 1 and 3 June, sparking international condemnation. Since then there have been near-daily reports of killings of people travelling to collect aid.

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