JERUSALEM: The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said on Saturday that two American aid workers had suffered non-life-threatening injuries in a targeted attack at a food distribution site in Gaza.
The US- and Israeli-backed GHF said in a statement that the injured Americans were receiving medical treatment and were in a stable condition.
“The attack – which preliminary information indicates was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans – occurred at the conclusion of an otherwise successful distribution in which thousands of Gazans safely received food,” the GHF said.
In addition to aid workers, the GHF employs private US military contractors tasked with providing security at their sites.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack. The Israeli military had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters.
Gazan authorities separately reported dozens of Palestinians had been killed by the Israeli military in the past 24 hours, including near aid distribution sites.
The Hamas-run interior ministry in Gaza on Thursday had warned residents of the coastal enclave not to assist the GHF, saying deadly incidents near its food distribution sites endangered hungry Gazans.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, bypassing traditional aid channels, including the United Nations which says the US-based organization is neither impartial nor neutral.
The GHF has said it has delivered more than 52 million meals to Palestinians in five weeks, while other humanitarian groups had “nearly all of their aid looted.”
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, the UN says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid handouts. A senior UN official said last week that the majority of people killed were trying to reach aid distribution sites of the GHF.
Footage released by GHF has shown at least one aid site to be overrun with no clear distribution process. Palestinians have described the sites as chaotic.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 70 people have been killed in the territory by the Israeli military in the last 24 hours, including 23 near aid distribution sites.
The ministry did not specify where or how exactly they had been killed.
Over 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in Israel’s war against Hamas, according to the Gaza health ministry, launched after the militant group’s surprise attack on Israel in October 7, 2023.
Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people in that attack and took another 251 hostages into Gaza. There are 50 hostages still held in Gaza, of which 20 are believed to be alive.
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza
https://arab.news/59vd3
Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza
- GHF says two Americans in stable condition after grenade attack
- Gaza officials say dozens killed by Israeli military in 24 hours
Efforts to heal Syria’s ‘deep divisions’ arduous but ‘not insurmountable,’ UN chief says on anniversary of Assad’s fall
- Antonio Guterres hails ‘end of a decades-old system of repression,’ Syrians’ ‘resilience and courage’— Transition offers opportunity to ‘forge a nation where every Syrian can live securely, equally, and with dignity’
NEW YORK: Efforts to heal Syria’s “deep divisions” will be long and arduous but the challenges ahead are “not insurmountable,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday as he marked the first anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime.
A surprise offensive by a coalition of rebel forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied militias rapidly swept through regime-held areas in late November 2024. Within days, they seized key cities and ultimately captured the capital Damascus.
On Dec. 8 last year, as regime defenses collapsed almost overnight, then-President Bashar Assad fled the Syrian Arab Republic, ending more than 50 years of brutal rule by his family.
“Today marks one year since the fall of the Assad government and the end of a decades-old system of repression,” Guterres said, praising the “resilience and courage” of Syrians “who never stopped nurturing hope despite enduring unimaginable hardship.”
He added that the anniversary was both a moment of reflection on the sacrifices made in pursuit of “historic change,” and a reminder of the difficult path ahead for the country.
“What lies ahead is far more than a political transition; it is the chance to rebuild shattered communities and heal deep divisions,” he said, adding that the transition offers an opportunity to “forge a nation where every Syrian — regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or political affiliation — can live securely, equally, and with dignity.”
Guterres stressed that the UN will continue supporting Syrians as they shape new political and civic institutions.
“The challenges are significant, but not insurmountable,” he said. “The past year has shown that meaningful change is possible when Syrians are empowered and supported in driving their own transition.”
He added that communities across the country are building new governance structures, and that “Syrian women continue to lead the charge for their rights, justice, and equality.”
Though humanitarian needs remain “immense,” he pointed to progress in restoring services, widening aid access, and creating conditions for the return of refugees and displaced people.
Transitional justice efforts are under way, he added, alongside broader civic engagement. Guterres urged governments to stand firmly behind a “Syrian-led, Syrian-owned transition,” saying support must include respect for sovereignty, removal of barriers to reconstruction, and robust funding for humanitarian and economic recovery.
“On this anniversary, we stand united in purpose — to build a foundation of peace and prosperity and renew our pledge to a free, sovereign, united, and inclusive Syria,” he added.
