00:00Collecting aid in Gaza has become a deadly mission.
00:03In just three days, at least 27 Gazans were reportedly killed by Israeli fire
00:08while trying to access food and essential supplies, according to eyewitnesses and local authorities.
00:15Large crowds had gathered near a humanitarian aid distribution site in southern Gaza in the city of Rafah.
00:21What was supposed to be an aid mission quickly turned into a bloodbath.
00:26Let's hear directly from the people of Gaza.
00:30It's not humane. This is a bloodbath with bits of food soaked in it.
00:34We go there to die.
00:36They fire bullets and use quadcopters to target us.
00:39Death is everywhere.
00:41They encircled us after allowing us to come in and then shot at us.
00:47Gunshots were fired at us and people fell dead on the ground.
00:50If they truly want to feed us, then why are they slaughtering us?
00:54If someone wants to distribute aid, then they shouldn't kill people.
00:57It's like they've put us in a designated place to shoot at us.
01:01Women are being shot and children are being taken to the hospitals.
01:04What's happening to us is unfair.
01:05We don't want the food if they plan to kill us.
01:08Shortly afterward, Israel announced it would halt aid operations in the war-torn Strip.
01:13The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, or GHF, a U.S. and Israel-backed aid network, announced it was temporarily suspending its operations.
01:23The Israeli military declared that the roads leading to the aid sites would now be considered combat zones.
01:29As a result, Gaza's humanitarian crisis is deepening by the day.
01:33The United Nations condemned the loss of life and injuries suffered by the Palestinians seeking food and called for an immediate, unobstructed humanitarian aid access to the Strip.
01:46The UN also renewed its call for the release of all hostages held by Hamas, along with a demand for an immediate, lasting and sustainable ceasefire.
01:56How has Israel responded?
01:57As stated, Israeli authorities continue to deny allegations that their forces opened fire on civilians attempting to collect aid packages.
02:06Despite the suspension of aid distribution, Israeli airstrikes have continued across the Strip.
02:12According to local authorities, at least 16 people were killed in a single strike on a tent, sheltering displaced families.
