US-backed aid group says Hamas killed at least eight Palestinian staff in bus attack

The new group backed by Israel and the US for aid distribution in Gaza says Hamas attacked a bus transporting some of its Palestinian workers, killing at least eight people.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said the attack happened on Wednesday night as the bus carrying more than two-dozen workers travelled to a distribution centre in southern Gaza, and that it came after days of threats from Hamas.

The BBC cannot independently verify the statement, and Hamas has not commented but it previously denied it had threatened the foundation's staff.

Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 103 Palestinians were killed and more than 400 wounded across Gaza in the past 24 hours.

This included 21 people who the ministry said were killed near areas designated for aid distribution on Tuesday morning.

The GHF started operating on 26 May, to bypass the United Nations (UN) and other established organisations to distribute aid in Gaza. Since then, its work has been marred by controversy and violence, with deadly incidents happening near its hubs almost every day.

The UN, which has refused to co-operate with the system, and aid organisations say it contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said the bus attack followed days of threats from Hamas - and that they feared some workers had been "taken hostage".

"We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms," it said in a statement.

The Israeli military did not immediately corroborate the allegation, but shared part of the GHF's statement, adding: "Hamas will stop at nothing to maintain control and prevent the effective delivery of aid."

GHF's interim director John Acree said the group considered closing its centres on Thursday but opted to remain open.

"We decided that the best response to Hamas' cowardly murderers was to keep delivering food for the people of Gaza who are counting on us," he said in a statement.

On Saturday, the GHF accused Hamas of making threats that "made it impossible" to operate in Gaza. Hamas denied this and said the GHF operation had "utterly failed on all levels".

The GHF's mechanism has been criticised as insufficient, as a limited amount of supplies is being handed out, and inhumane, as it requires people to travel to crowded distribution hubs, at great risk.

Almost every day since it began operating, there have been deadly shootings near one or other of the four centres it has opened, by Israeli soldiers and armed Palestinians.

On Wednesday, at least 25 people were killed near a GHF site in Gaza's Netzarim corridor, according to two hospitals in Gaza City.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry says 245 people have been killed and 2,152 others injured while trying to reach areas designated for aid distribution since the GHF began operating.

The US and Israel say delivering aid through the GHF will prevent it being stolen by Hamas. The UN says this is not a widespread issue, while Hamas denies doing it.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday, following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said the outage was affecting its emergency response by impeding communication with its staff.

The war has caused major infrastructural damage across Gaza, affecting power, roads, transport and water.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 55,104 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.