Sawt Falasteen - 20 people killed in aid point crush in southern Gaza

It was the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's (GHF) first acknowledgement of deaths at one of its aid centres after weeks of chaotic scenes and near-daily reports of Palestinians being killed nearby while waiting to collect rations.

The latest deaths came as Hamas accused Israel of wanting to retain long-term military control of Gaza -- a key sticking point in ongoing negotiations aiming to seal a deal for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of hostages and the unfettered flow of much-needed aid.

A Palestinian source close to the negotiations told AFP there had been "no progress so far" in the indirect talks, which are now in their second week in Doha.

In Gaza's main southern city of Khan Yunis, the GHF said it understood that 19 of those killed on Wednesday "were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge".

It said the crush was "driven by agitators", adding: "We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd -- armed and affiliated with Hamas -- deliberately fomented the unrest".

Gaza's civil defence agency confirmed at least 20 people were killed in the incident, but blamed it on fire from Israeli troops.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that thousands had gathered at the scene when "Israeli forces opened fire and used (tear) gas, causing panic and a stampede after aid centre guards closed the main gates in front of the hungry crowd".

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

- 'Climbing on top of each other' -

AFP footage showed lifeless bodies being taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, with some placed on the floor and others on already-bloodied beds.

"They fired stun grenades at us and sprayed us with pepper spray," said Abdullah Alian, who witnessed the crush.

"When they saw people starting to die on the ground and people on top of each other suffocating, they opened the gate and people started climbing on top of each other."

Paramedic Ziad Farhat told AFP that after 21 months of devastating war, "there are not enough hospitals for the injured or the martyrs, and there is not enough land for the cemeteries".

"Enough of what is happening, enough of the tragedies that we are living," he said.

The GHF, an officially private effort, began operations on May 26 after Israel had blocked supplies from entering the Gaza Strip for more than two months, sparking warnings of imminent famine.

On Tuesday, the UN said it had recorded 875 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food, including 674 "in the vicinity of GHF sites", since late May.

Last week, UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told reporters that "most of the injuries are gunshot injuries".

The GHF has denied that fatal shootings have occurred in the immediate vicinity of its aid points, and the Israeli army has accused Hamas of firing at civilians, though witnesses have blamed the military.

- 'No progress' -

Hamas is seeking a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the truce negotiations, and last week rejected an Israeli proposal that it said would have kept troops in more than 40 percent of the territory.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday quoted a foreign official it did not identify as saying that work was ongoing to revise Israeli pullback maps.

But Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas's political bureau, told AFP: "(Israel) has not yet delivered any new or revised maps regarding military withdrawals".

"What is happening on the ground confirms (Israel's) intentions and plans to maintain and prolong military control within the Gaza Strip for the long term," he added.

A Palestinian source close to the negotiations told AFP there had been "no progress so far".

"We hope the mediators will succeed in pressuring Israel to offer an acceptable withdrawal map that ensures an actual withdrawal -- not merely a redeployment of Israeli military forces -- and the entry of aid into the Strip," the source said.

Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 sparked the war in Gaza, and resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

A total of 251 hostages were taken that day, of whom 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 58,573 Palestinians, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

O.Mousa--SF-PST