Israeli forces killed 34 Palestinians on Monday as crowds attempted to reach food distribution centers in Gaza, marking the deadliest single day of such shootings since a new aid system launched last month, according to health officials and witnesses.
The shootings occurred at two locations operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private contractor managing the Israeli and U.S.-supported distribution network. Health Ministry officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza reported that 33 Palestinians died while trying to reach the GHF center near Rafah in southern Gaza, with one additional fatality at a central Gaza distribution hub.
The Israeli military did not provide immediate comment on Monday’s shootings. Following previous incidents that have occurred almost daily since the aid centers opened three weeks ago, Israeli forces have stated they fired warning shots at suspected individuals approaching their positions, though they have not confirmed whether those shots caused casualties.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos as thousands of Palestinians gathered around 4 a.m. at Flag Roundabout, located hundreds of meters from the Rafah food center, before its scheduled opening time. Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians present in the crowd, reported that Israeli troops began firing as people massed at the location.
“Fire was coming from everywhere,” said Jouda, who has made repeated trips to obtain food for her family over the past week. People dropped to the ground seeking cover as gunfire erupted around them. “It’s getting worse day by day,” she added.
The Red Cross field hospital near the scene received approximately 200 injured individuals on Monday, representing the highest single mass casualty event the facility has experienced, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The previous day, around 170 people were brought to the same facility, with most suffering gunshot wounds sustained while attempting to reach the GHF center.
Flag Roundabout has become a focal point for repeated shootings, despite being located on the route designated by the Israeli military for civilians to access the distribution center. Palestinians have reported that Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from advancing beyond a certain point on the road before scheduled opening times or when individuals deviate from the designated route.
The Health Ministry’s casualty count made Monday the deadliest day around the food distribution sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed in similar circumstances. Ministry officials report that several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers began operations.
A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that “none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.” The organization stated that the incidents have involved aid-seekers moving “during prohibited times or trying to take a short cut.” The foundation indicated it was working to improve safety measures, including recently shifting opening times from nighttime to daylight hours.
Palestinians face an impossible choice between starvation and risking death as they navigate past Israeli forces to reach distribution points. The desperate situation has developed after most food supplies were exhausted during the two and a half months this year when Israel blocked all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has since eased the blockade to allow a limited amount of aid to enter.
The GHF system represents a significant shift in Gaza’s humanitarian landscape. Israel and the United States have positioned it as a replacement for the United Nations-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza throughout the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israeli officials contend that the new mechanism is necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid supplies.
However, United Nations agencies and major aid organizations have rejected the new system, denying claims of widespread theft by Hamas. These groups argue that the GHF system cannot adequately meet the population’s needs and effectively weaponizes food distribution to advance Israeli military objectives, including relocating Gaza’s more than 2 million Palestinians into a “sterile” southern enclave.
Anna Halford, a field coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, testified before Britain’s House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, characterizing Israel’s claims of extensive aid diversion by Hamas as “specious and cynical.” She argued these allegations were designed “to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.”
“This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,” Halford told lawmakers when asked about the GHF centers.
International experts have warned that Israel’s ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have placed Gaza at severe risk of famine. The current food distribution system has become a deadly bottleneck, forcing civilians to risk their lives for basic sustenance.
Israel’s military campaign, launched in October 2023 with the stated goal of destroying Hamas, has resulted in over 55,300 Palestinian deaths, with more than half being women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry’s casualty figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Israeli operation began in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, during which militants killed approximately 1,200 people, predominantly civilians, and took 251 individuals hostage. Currently, 53 hostages remain in Hamas custody, with fewer than half believed to be alive, following the release of others through ceasefire agreements and prisoner exchanges.
The ongoing violence around food distribution centers highlights the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where basic survival has become a life-threatening endeavor for the civilian population. The international community continues to grapple with finding effective solutions to deliver aid safely while addressing the underlying conflict dynamics that have made humanitarian assistance increasingly dangerous.
