IDF Says Claims of Massacres at Gaza Aid Distribution Sites ‘Total Lies’
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday night, Israeli military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin dismissed as “total lies” claims that troops have shot civilians at Gazan aid distribution points.
For the past three days, Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry has reported that Palestinians have been killed while waiting to receive aid. Defrin said that Israel soldiers fired warning shots on Tuesday morning about half a kilometer away from an aid distribution site after being threatened by the approach of suspicious figures.
That event is being investigated, he added, noting that such investigations take time to complete. He condemned international media organizations for recklessly publishing unverified claims.
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He accused Hamas of carrying out violence at the sites, including shooting civilians at close range at a Khan Younis aid distribution point.
“We are not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites,” Defrin said. “The opposite is true. We’re making it possible. Hamas is the one preventing it.”
Defrin said that the new aid distribution system is “proving itself and successful.” The system, run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, began operation late last month following months of a near-total blockade on Gaza. Defrin said tens of thousands of meals have been distributed each day.
In addition to feeding needy Gazans, the aid distribution has also succeeded in weakening Hamas’ control over the Gazan people, Defrin said. “Alongside the continuous military pressure against Hamas, its rule is cracking and is being undermined,” he said, adding that the group “is losing control of the population.”
