The US-backed organization claimed that armed agitators caused a crowd rush that resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Palestinians on Wednesday at an aid distribution location operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The GHF, which has Israeli funding, reported that during the crush at one of its centers in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, 19 individuals were trampled underfoot and one was fatally stabbed.
GHF asserted in a statement that “we have reasonable grounds to believe that elements within the crowd –– armed and affiliated with Hamas –– purposefully incited the unrest.”
Hamas called the GHF accusation “false and misleading,” claiming that Israeli soldiers and GHF guards fired shots and sprayed pepper gas on civilians.
