US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation accuses Hamas of brutally attacking an aid bus in Gaza, killing at least five humanitarians and injuring multiple others.
The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Wednesday blamed the Hamas terrorist organization for an attack on a bus transporting its aid workers, resulting in at least five fatalities and numerous injuries, AFP reported.
The incident raises grave concerns regarding the safety of humanitarian operations in the region.
In a statement released by the GHF, the organization detailed the assault, which occurred around 10:00 p.m. local time. “A bus carrying more than two dozen members of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation team… were brutally attacked by Hamas,” the statement read.
The immediate aftermath of the attack remains unclear, with the GHF still gathering facts. “We are still gathering facts, but what we know is devastating: there are at least five fatalities, multiple injuries, and fear that some of our team members may have been taken hostage,” the statement confirmed.
In an email communication with AFP, the GHF specified that all individuals on the bus were Palestinian Arab aid workers, en route to the GHF’s distribution center situated in the area west of Khan Yunis.
GHF unequivocally condemned the actions, stating, “We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms.” The group underscored the humanitarian nature of their fallen colleagues: “These were aid workers. Humanitarians. Fathers, brothers, sons and friends, who were risking their lives every day to help others.”
GHF began operating in late May, opening distribution hubs in the Gaza Strip. The organization, comprised of former humanitarian, government, and military officials, stated its distribution points would be secured by private security firms and aims to reach one million Gazans.
The UN and non-governmental groups have criticized the GHF initiative, with the UN announcing it would refuse to participate in the operation, citing fundamental concerns regarding impartiality, neutrality, and independence.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce fired back at the criticism of the new effort, telling reporters, “It is unfortunate, because the issue here is giving aid to Gaza, and then suddenly it moves into complaints about style or the nature of who’s doing it.”
She described the criticism as “the height of hypocrisy.”
“The real story here is that aid, and food, is moving into Gaza at a massive scale,” stated Bruce, adding, “When you’re looking at 8,000 food boxes, was this going to be like going to the mall or through a drive-through? No, it wasn’t. This is a complicated environment, and the story is the fact that it’s working.”
