GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (BN24) — Israeli troops opened fire on crowds of Palestinians attempting to reach food aid distribution sites in southern Gaza on Saturday, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens more, Gaza health authorities said, as scenes of chaos and desperation played out near facilities operated by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed humanitarian group.
The violence unfolded near multiple aid hubs set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new initiative supported by the U.S. and Israel, which seeks to replace the longstanding U.N.-led aid delivery system. Israel has accused Hamas of diverting U.N. supplies — a charge the U.N. has denied.
According to local witnesses and hospital officials, Israeli forces fired live rounds and machine-gun fire mounted on tanks and drones at unarmed civilians converging on the aid sites near Khan Younis and Rafah. Many of the victims had been waiting for food before dawn when the gunfire began.
“The occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” said Mahmoud Mokeimar, who was among the crowd near Khan Younis. “We were just trying to survive.”
One witness, Akram Aker, said the shooting occurred between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. as desperate civilians — mostly young men — approached the center. “They encircled us and started firing directly,” he said.
Sanaa al-Jaberi, an aid seeker, described the terror as people broke into a run when gunfire erupted. “Is this food or death?” she cried, clutching an empty bag.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 25 bodies and 70 wounded, with head and chest gunshot wounds reported among the majority. A separate incident near another GHF hub in Rafah claimed seven more lives, including a woman. Medical workers said they were overwhelmed and lacked essential supplies, with patients — including children — being treated on the floor.
The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots overnight near Rafah when a group approached a secure area, but claimed the distribution center was closed at the time. The army did not directly address the deaths in Khan Younis. GHF stated there were no disturbances at their sites and warned civilians not to arrive in the early morning hours.
Meanwhile, multiple Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 24 more people on Saturday, including children and women, according to Gaza hospitals. Victims included displaced families in Gaza City, the family of a police official in central Gaza, and civilians struck while traveling in carts or gathered on major roads.
Israel’s military confirmed hitting around 90 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours but did not comment on specific casualties.
The territory’s humanitarian crisis continues to deepen. More than 2 million Palestinians are trapped in dire conditions, and aid distribution is often disorganized and dangerous. At GHF sites, food boxes are simply dropped on the ground, sparking stampedes among starving crowds.
The Gaza Health Ministry says over 58,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive since the war began in October 2023, after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in a cross-border assault. Israel says around 50 hostages remain in captivity, though fewer than half are believed to be alive.
Despite ongoing ceasefire talks in Qatar, no breakthrough has been reached. In Tel Aviv, relatives of hostages renewed calls for a deal, with thousands rallying and marching to the U.S. Embassy branch to demand an end to the war.
Meanwhile, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee condemned an arson attack by suspected Israeli settlers on a Palestinian church in Taybeh, calling it an “act of terror.” The incident adds to a surge in settler violence in the territory since the Gaza war began.
The Associated Press
