American relief group distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip accuses Hamas terrorists of sparking deadly stampede outside aid center in southern Gaza, killing 20.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

At least 20 people were killed Wednesday morning, after a stabbing attack sparked a stampede outside of a humanitarian aid distribution center in the southern Gaza Strip.

According to initial reports, one person was stabbed to death outside of an aid distribution center in Khan Younis, while 19 more were trampled to death.

The American-based relief group which operates the aid center, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, accused Hamas terrorists of intentionally instigating the stampede.

“We are heartbroken to confirm that 20 people died this morning in a tragic incident at SDS3 in Khan Younis,” the GHF announced.

The aid group, which was established as an alternative mechanism for distributing aid in Gaza to prevent Hamas from seizing incoming goods, blamed the stampede on “agitators in the crowd,” linking the incident to Hamas.

During the incident, gunmen were spotted in the crowd, GHF said, and an American citizen was threatened.

“We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas – deliberately fomented the unrest. For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated.”

“An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident.”

The GHF has in the past accused Hamas of threatening to use violence against the group and Gazans seeking aid at GHF distribution sites.

The organization claimed that over the past few days, Gazans have been targeted with misinformation spread on social media regarding GHF operations, leading to desperate crowds showing up to closed aid centers.

False messages about aid site openings, including at SDS4 (Wadi Gaza) and the long-closed SDS1 (Tal Sultan), have circulated widely on Telegram and other platforms, fueling confusion, driving crowds to closed sites, and inciting disorder.”

The post Gaza aid group blames Hamas after 20 killed in stampede and stabbing appeared first on World Israel News.

Hamas accuses IDF of massacre after Israeli troops open fire at crowd rushing towards aid trucks, probe shows most wounds were caused by stampede.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Over one hundred Gazans were killed early Thursday morning in a stampede towards aid trucks in the northern Gaza Strip.

According to aerial footage released by the IDF Thursday, thousands of Gazans rushed towards approximately 30 aid trucks that passed an IDF checkpoint and approached Gaza City’s Rimal neighborhood at around 4:00 a.m.

As the crowds thronged towards the trucks, which were delivering food to residents, hundreds of Gazans were caught in the stampede and were crushed. The stampede occurred on Al-Rashid Street in the Sheikh Ijlin area, just southwest of Gaza City, as the trucks were approaching Rimal.

In a separate incident to the north, just outside of the Rimal neighborhood, gunmen opened fire on another aid convoy, forcing it to stop and enabling them to loot it.

IDF forces operating in the air responded to the gunfire, firing at the legs of Gazans who approached IDF troops and a tank deployed to the area.

Dozens of Gazans were killed and hundreds injured in the stampede, with roughly a dozen more wounded in the second incident involving IDF troops.

Gaza health officials say at least 104 people were killed, with 760 more injured.

According to a preliminary IDF investigation, roughly ten looters were wounded in the incident involving Israeli troops.

The Hamas terrorist organization and WAFA, a Palestinian Authority mouthpiece, both accused Israel of a massacre, blaming the IDF for the casualties in both incidents.

The aid convoys were coordinated by the IDF, as part of an effort to prevent Hamas from either seizing the goods or controlling the flow of aid in Gaza.

Prior to the two incidents Thursday, Israeli forces have overseen the distribution of multiple aid convoys in northern Gaza recently without incident.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) said the shooting by the Gaza gunmen highlights the danger posed by the aid convoys to Israeli forces, calling for a halt to the flow of aid.

“We must give total backing to our heroic soldiers who are serving in Gaza and who acted commendably while facing a mob of Gazans who tried to attack them,” Ben-Gvir tweeted.

“Today it was proven that the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza is not only madness while our hostages are held in the Strip in the worst of conditions, but also endangers IDF soldiers. This is another clear reason why we must stop transferring this aid, which is in effect aids attempts to harm our soldiers and gives oxygen to Hamas.”

The post Hamas claims ‘massacre’ as 100 Gazans killed in stampede rushing towards aid appeared first on World Israel News.

85 dead and over 320 injured after gunfire sparks panic during Ramadan event in Yemen’s capital, leading to stampede.

By The Associated Press

A crowd apparently panicked by gunfire and an electrical explosion stampeded at an event to distribute financial aid during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Yemen’s capital late Wednesday, killing at least 85 people and injuring at least 320 others, according to witnesses and Houthi rebel officials.

The tragedy was Yemen’s deadliest in years that was not related to the country’s long-running war, and came ahead of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan later this week.

Armed Houthis fired into the air in an attempt at crowd control, apparently striking an electrical wire and causing it to explode, according to two witnesses, Abdel-Rahman Ahmed and Yahia Mohsen. That sparked a panic, and people, including many women and children, began stampeding, they said.

Video posted on social media showed dozens of bodies, some motionless, and others screaming as people tried to help. Separate footage of the aftermath released by Houthi officials showed bloodstains, shoes and victims’ clothing scattered on the ground. Investigators were seen examining the area.

The crush took place in the Old City in the center of Sanaa, where hundreds of poor people had gathered for a charity event organized by merchants, according to the Houthi-run Interior Ministry.

People had gathered to receive about $10 each from a charity funded by local businessmen, witnesses said. Wealthy people and businessmen often hand out cash and food, especially to the poor, during Ramadan.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Brig. Abdel-Khaleq al-Aghri, blamed the crush on the “random distribution” of funds without coordination with local authorities.

Motaher al-Marouni, a senior health official, said 78 people were killed, according the rebels’ Al-Masirah satellite TV channel. At least 73 others were injured and taken to the al-Thowra Hospital in Sanaa, according to hospital deputy director Hamdan Bagheri.

The rebels quickly sealed off a school where the event was being held and barred people, including journalists, from approaching.

The Interior Ministry said it had detained two organizers and an investigation was under way.

The Houthis said they would pay some $2,000 in compensation to each family who lost a relative, while the injured would get around $400.

Yemen’s capital has been under the control of the Iranian-backed Houthis since they descended from their northern stronghold in 2014 and removed the internationally recognized government.

That prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene in 2015 to try to restore the government.

The conflict has turned in recent years into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, killing more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

More than 21 million people in Yemen, or two-thirds of the country’s population, need help and protection, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Among those in need, more than 17 million are considered particularly vulnerable.

In February the United Nations said it had raised only $1.2 billion out of a target of $4.3 billion at a conference aimed at generating funds to ease the humanitarian crisis.

The post Stampede in Yemen at Ramadan charity event kills at least 85 appeared first on World Israel News.

South Korea’s president declares day of mourning after 151 crushed to death in stampede at Halloween gathering in Seoul.

By Kim Tong-Hyung and Hyung-Jin Kim, The Associated Press

Concerned relatives raced to hospitals in search of their loved ones Sunday as South Korea mourned the deaths of at least 151 people, mostly in their teens and 20s, who got trapped and crushed after a huge Halloween party crowd surged into a narrow alley in a nightlife district in Seoul.

Tens of thousands of people were believed to have gathered in Itaewon for festivities on Saturday night. Witnesses say the streets were so densely clogged with people and slow-moving vehicles that it was practically impossible for emergency workers and ambulances to reach the alley near Hamilton Hotel, as the situation quickly developed into one of the country’s worst disasters in years.

There were concerns the death toll could grow as 24 people among the 104 being treated for injuries are in critical condition, according to Seoul City’s disaster headquarters.

The city government said more than 2,600 people have called or visited a city office in nearby Hannam-dong as of Saturday afternoon, reporting their relatives as out of contact and asking officials to confirm whether they were among those injured or dead after the crush.

The dead included 19 foreigners, said Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry did not confirm the nationalities of those victims, but it said that they alerted their countries’ embassies in Seoul. The Chinese state news agency Xinhua said at least three Chinese nationals were killed.

The bodies of the dead were being kept at 42 hospitals in the capital, Seoul, and nearby Gyeonggi Province, according to Seoul City, which said it will instruct crematories to burn more bodies per day as part of plans to support funeral proceedings.

Around 100 businesses in the Hamilton Hotel area have agreed to shut down their shops through Monday to reduce the number of partygoers who would come to the streets through Halloween Day.

An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began and strict rules on gatherings were enforced. The South Korean government eased COVID-19 restrictions in recent months and this was the first big chance to get out and party for many young people.

While Halloween isn’t a traditional holiday in South Korea, where children rarely go trick-or-treating, it’s still a major attraction for young adults, and costume parties at bars and clubs have become hugely popular in recent years.

Itaewon, near where the former headquarters of U.S. military forces in South Korea operated before moving out of the capital in 2018, is an expat-friendly district known for its trendy bars, clubs and restaurants and it’s the city’s marquee Halloween destination.

Officials initially said 150 people were injured as of Sunday morning before later lowering their tally. National Fire Agency officials didn’t immediately explain why the tally was reduced but said emergency workers would have had a more accurate idea of the casualties as rescue operations proceeded and that some of the injured would have been converted to deaths. It was also possible that some of those who were lightly injured had returned home overnight and were no longer counted.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a national mourning period on Sunday and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-staff. During a televised speech, Yoon said supporting the families of the victims, including their funeral preparations, and the treatment of the injured would be a top priority for his government.

He also called for officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident and review the safety of other large cultural and entertainment events, including regional festivals, to ensure they proceed safely.

“This is really devastating. The tragedy and disaster that need not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul amid Halloween (celebrations),” Yoon said during the speech. “I feel heavy hearted and cannot contain my sadness as a president responsible for the people’s lives and safety.”

After the speech, Yoon visited the Itaewon alley where the disaster occurred. Local TV footage showed Yoon inspecting the alley filled with trash and being briefed by emergency officials.

It was not immediately clear what led the crowd to surge into the narrow downhill alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in Seoul. One survivor said many people fell and toppled one another “like dominos” after they were pushed by others. The survivor, surnamed Kim, said they were trapped for about an hour and a half before being rescued, as some people shouted “Help me!” and others were short of breath, according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.

Another survivor, Lee Chang-kyu, said he saw about five or six men push others before one or two began falling, according to the newspaper.

In an interview with news channel YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, a visitor to Itaewon, said it was shocking to see rows of bodies near the hotel. He said emergency workers were initially overwhelmed, leaving pedestrians struggling to administer CPR to the injured lying on the streets. People wailed beside the bodies of their friends, he said.

Another survivor in his 20s said he avoided being trampled by managing to get into a bar whose door was open in the alley, Yonhap news agency reported. A woman in her 20s surnamed Park told Yonhap that she and others were standing along the side of the alley while others caught in the middle of the alley had no escape.

Choi, the fire department chief, said that bodies were being sent to hospitals or a gym, where bereaved family members could identify them. He said most of the dead and injured are in their 20s.

“Horrific news from Seoul tonight,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted. “All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time.”

Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, tweeted that reports of the disaster were “heartbreaking” and said Washington “stands ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs.”

The last South Korean disaster this deadly also hit young people the hardest. In April 2014, 304 people, mostly high school students, died in a ferry sinking. The sinking exposed lax safety rules and regulatory failures. It was partially blamed on excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a crew poorly trained for emergency situations. Saturday’s deaths will likely draw public scrutiny of what government officials have done to improve public safety standards since the ferry disaster.

It was also Asia’s second major crushing disaster in a month. On Oct. 1, police in Indonesia fired tear gas at a soccer match, causing a crush that killed 132 people as spectators attempted to flee.

More than 1,700 response personnel from across the country were deployed to the streets to help the wounded, including about 520 firefighters, 1,100 police officers and 70 government workers. The National Fire Agency separately said in a statement that officials were still trying to determine the exact number of emergency patients.

This was the deadliest crushing disaster in South Korean history. In 2005, 11 people were killed and around 60 others were injured at a pop concert in the southern city of Sangju.

In 1960, 31 people died after being crushed on the stairs of a train station as large crowds rushed to board a train during the Lunar New Year holidays.

The post 151 killed at South Korean Halloween party appeared first on World Israel News.

National flags were lowered to half-mast at public buildings, IDF bases and Israeli missions abroad.

By Aryeh Savir, TPS

Israel marked a national day of mourning on Sunday following the death of 45 Jewish worshipers during the Lag BaOmer festivities at Mount Meron, the worst civilian tragedy in the country’s history.

The Cabinet approved on Friday the proposal of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz to declare a day of national mourning.

National flags were lowered to half-mast at public buildings, IDF bases and Israeli missions abroad.

President Reuven Rivlin lit 45 memorial candles outside Beit HaNasi on Friday in memory of the victims of the Mt. Meron tragedy.

“This is a terrible, painful day. A heartbreaking tragedy. Our prayers and thoughts are with those injured and with the families of those killed and missing in the awful tragedy at Har Meron. I send my heartfelt thanks to those working without a break since last night to rescue and give medical treatment. This is the time to embrace the families to help all those looking for their loved ones to take those injured to our hearts. To weep together,” he said.

The Jerusalem Municipality illuminated the walls of the Old City with flags as a sign of solidarity with the heavy mourning of the families of the victims.

Dozens of people gathered at the center of Tel Aviv on Saturday night to light candles in memory of the victims and mourn the tragedy together.

Thousands of Israelis, including Netanyahu, donated blood for the injured victims.

Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin decided that the Knesset plenum will hold a special mourning session on Monday

Knesset members will be allowed to light memorial candles at the entrance to the Knesset building.

“Our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones in the heavy disaster. On behalf of the entire Knesset, I send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to the wounded,” said Levin.

All the victims were identified by the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Some of the victims were buried on Friday and on Saturday night, and the rest will be buried Sunday.

The post Israel observes national day of mourning to honor 45 Meron victims appeared first on World Israel News.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 45 attendees at Lag B’Omer festivities on Mount Meron, including at least 10 children and teens younger than 18.

By Associated Press

Calls grew louder Saturday for establishing an official commission of inquiry related to a disaster on Friday that cut short the annual festival of Lag B’Omer on Israel’s Mount Meron.

The festival had drawn some 100,000 people in the largest gathering so far this year as Israel’s successful vaccination campaign allowed the country to emerge from coronavirus restrictions.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 45 attendees, including at least 10 children and teens younger than 18, who were killed in the crush at Meron.

The calls for an investigation demand an inquiry into the responsibility of politicians and senior decision-makers for allowing the mass gathering to take place, despite repeated warnings over the years about safety lapses.

Veteran paramedic Yossi Halabi told Israel TV’s Channel 12 on Saturday that he “encountered a wall of bodies” after he was first alerted to the disaster from his nearby post. He said it took him and fellow rescuers about 40 minutes to extract the dead and wounded from the chaos.

He said that it was “one of the worst if not the worst incident” he had seen in 30 years on the job.

Experts have long warned that the Mount Meron celebrations were ripe for disaster due to the crowded conditions, large fires and hot weather. In a 2008 report, the state comptroller, a watchdog government office, warned conditions at the site, including escape routes, “endanger the public.”

The Justice Ministry said it was launching a probe into possible criminal misconduct by police officers. Witnesses complained that police barricades had prevented people from exiting properly.

However, there were growing demands Saturday, including from retired police commanders, for an official commission of inquiry that could also review decisions by the political leadership.

The post Israelis demand answers from officials, police after Meron tragedy appeared first on World Israel News.

Two families each lost two children, with the youngest victim only nine years old.

By Associated Press

At least 10 children and teens younger than 18 were among the victims killed in the disaster at a religious festival in northern Israel, according to a partial list of names published Saturday as the identification of victims in Israel’s deadliest civilian disaster continued.

Four Americans, a Canadian and a man from Argentina were also among those killed. Two families each lost two children. The youngest victim was nine years old.

The tragedy early Friday had cut short the annual festival of Lag BaOmer on Israel’s Mount Meron.

The festival had drawn some 100,000 people in the largest gathering so far this year as Israel’s successful vaccination campaign allowed the country to emerge from coronavirus restrictions.

As large numbers of people began to leave one of the events at the festival, they thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage that sloped downward and ended with a series of steps.

The floor had become slippery with spilled water and juice, according to witnesses. As some in the crowd slipped, those behind them fell on top of those on the ground.

According to several reports, 32 of the 45 victims were identified before the start of the Jewish Sabbath at sundown Friday.

Of those, 22 were laid to rest before the Sabbath. The identification of the remaining victims and burials resumed after sundown Saturday.

Sixteen people remained hospitalized, including three in serious condition.

Lag BaOmer is a popular festival day in Israel, which honors Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd-century sage and mystic who is buried at Mount Meron. The crowds light bonfires, dance and have large festive meals as part of the celebrations. Across the country, even in secular areas, groups gather in parks and forests for barbecues and bonfires.

The post 10 boys and teens identified among Meron casualties appeared first on World Israel News.

“Hundreds of people were there, I heard shouts of ‘I can’t breathe,’ it was insane,” said one survivor.

By Benjamin Kerstein, The Algemeiner

Information on the Mount Meron tragedy — in which the annual Lag B’Omer celebration turned into a catastrophe after 45 people were crushed to death by the crowds, and over 150 injured — continued to come in on Friday, with those injured speaking out and details emerging on those who lost their lives.

Haim, who was injured in the incident, told Channel 13 that he and others were crushed beneath the crowd.

“We got to a situation where people couldn’t breathe. Hundreds of people were there, I heard shouts of ‘I can’t breathe,’ it was insane,” he said.

Gil, who was moderately injured, described the events as well, saying, “We went into a passageway with stairs, around four by nineteen meters in size, a place meant to hold something like 50 people at most, and I think there were something like more than 500 people there.”

“The front row just fell,” he continued, “and those above didn’t see that it fell and continued to push and there were a lot of people. One row after another row after another row … There were many tragedies.”

However, he said “there was also a fantastic rescue team there.”

Another, anonymous, eyewitness told the outlet, “General chaos, that’s what happened.”

He said that the initial cause of the incident was a slippery iron walkway, followed by a flight of stairs. “It was a recipe for disaster,” he said, “because suddenly — boom, glitch.”

He added that he was in flat-soled shoes, and as a result, “I couldn’t stop, and suddenly I saw one falling on top of another, and then the screams started.”

Haim Spielberg, a volunteer with the emergency service ZAKA, called the scene “one of the hardest tragedies I’ve ever dealt with. … I saw dozens of people lying on the floor. … There were screams for help from everywhere. There was a smell of death and grief in the air.”

He said that he and other volunteers were particularly shocked by the victims’ cell phones, which never stopped ringing as relatives attempted to check on their condition.

“Tears fell from my eyes when I saw on the telephone screens ‘mother,’ ‘father,’ or other worried family members.”

Israeli news site Walla reported that 32 of the dead have been identified so far, with 22 of the bodies being released for burial.

Among the dead were Moshe Mordechai Elhadad, 12, and Yosef David Elhadad, 18, two brothers from Jerusalem who were found in the narrow passageway. Another two brothers were also killed — Moshe Natan Neta Englander, 14, and Yehoshua Englander, 9.

Among the other victims were Rabbi Zvi Klagsbald, 43, who was a Kolel and yeshiva head, and left behind a wife and eight children.

Menachem Zakbach, 24, of Modi’in Ilit, left behind a pregnant wife and a one-year-old child.

Moshe Levi, 14, of Bnei Brak, was allowed to attend the event by his family as a reward for his attentive studies.

Rabbi Shimon Matalon, 37, who taught Talmud-Torah in Beitar Ilit, left behind ten children. His community issued a message saying he was “self-sacrificing, holy, and cleaving to the blessed name [God], with a shining face and love of Israel, happiness and faith were his lot, and he imparted and radiated this to all those around them.”

Haim Ozer Seller, 24, of Jerusalem, became the father of a girl two weeks ago.

Yehuda Leib Rubin, 27, left behind a wife and three children, and was the son of Yom Tov Rubin, an editor of a major Haredi newspaper.

Also killed was Shragi Gestetner, 28, a popular Haredi singer from Montreal, Canada who came to Israel specifically to perform at the Mount Meron event.

Yisrael Nabul, a Haredi event producer, told N12, “He was an extraordinary man who died in tragic circumstances.”

Because Gestetner’s entire family is in Canada and cannot reach Israel at the moment, it was decided that he would be buried in Jerusalem. Nabul took on the task of bringing as many people as possible to the funeral, as Gestetner had no relations or close friends in Israel itself. He used Haredi Whatsapp groups to put the word out, and five hundred people eventually attended.

“It was important to us that he not be buried alone,” said Nabul. “The Haredi community has lost a great singer, it’s impossible to describe the size of the tragedy.”

The post ‘I couldn’t stop’: Meron survivors recount disaster as victims’ names emerge appeared first on World Israel News.