At Least 27 Killed During Aid Distribution in Gaza

On Tuesday morning, at least 27 people were killed when Israeli forces opened fire near a food distribution site in Rafah in southern Gaza. According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health and Civil Defense, the incident occurred as thousands of civilians gathered at the al-Alam roundabout in the al-Mawasi area to receive aid from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

According to eyewitnesses and hospital staff, both tanks and drones were used in the shooting. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 27 bodies and over 180 injured. “Most were hit in the head, chest, and upper body,” said Mohammed Saqr, chief physician at the hospital.

The Israeli military later confirmed that soldiers had fired at “suspicious individuals” moving outside designated access corridors. “Shots were fired as a deterrence and then closer to individuals who posed a threat,” stated an official declaration.

A spokesman for GHF expressed sorrow over the incident and emphasized that the civilian population had been advised to stick to safe routes. The organization has temporarily closed its centers and announced that distribution will resume on Thursday.

The episode is the third of its kind in three days. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that “deadly attacks on desperate civilians trying to access scant aid are incomprehensible” and labeled them as “war crimes.”

According to the UN, over two million people in Gaza face starvation following Israel’s total blockade of supplies in March. GHF has taken over the distribution of aid, which has been met with opposition from humanitarian organizations that criticize the model for endangering civilians and marginalizing established actors like UNRWA.

Several international actors, including the UN Secretary-General, have called for an independent investigation into the incidents. So far, no responsibility has been assigned, but Tuesday’s tragedy underscores the extreme conditions under which the civilian population in Gaza lives.

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