Israeli forces and drones reportedly opened fire on hundreds of Palestinians waiting for aid in various incidents across southern and central Gaza on Tuesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 44 individuals, as confirmed by witnesses and hospitals. According to health authorities, the death toll from the ongoing conflict has now exceeded 56,000.
Palestinian witnesses and health officials have claimed that Israeli forces have systematically targeted crowds approaching aid distribution points over the past several weeks, leading to hundreds of deaths. The Israeli military contends that the shooting was in response to suspicious movements towards its forces, and it has claimed to fire warning shots.
In central Gaza, three eyewitnesses informed the Associated Press that shots were fired by Israeli forces as civilians advanced towards aid trucks located south of Wadi Gaza. Ahmed Halawa described the scene as a “massacre,” stating that both tanks and drones targeted fleeing individuals, resulting in numerous casualties.
Witness Hossam Abu Shahada recounted seeing drones surveilling the crowd before gunfire opened up from military tanks. He depicted the atmosphere as chaotic and bloody, with many people injured or killed amidst the attempts to escape. The Awda Hospital in Nuseirat refugee camp confirmed that it received 25 deceased individuals, with 146 others wounded, 62 of whom were in critical condition and subsequently transferred to other medical facilities. Meanwhile, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah noted an additional six fatalities from the same event.
In Rafah, witnesses claimed Israeli troops began shooting as large crowds gathered in an area known as Shakoush, close to a food distribution site established by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). This incident resulted in at least 19 deaths, along with 50 additional injuries, reported by Nasser Hospital and Gaza’s Health Ministry. The GHF distribution sites, funded with U.S. and Israeli government backing, faced violence and chaos since their opening last month, amid accusations from Israel and the United States that Hamas has been siphoning off aid, a claim the United Nations has denied.
Furthermore, the U.S. Government has authorized $30 million for the GHF, amid growing concerns about the humanitarian crisis in the region. Eyewitness Salem Ismail, who was among the packed crowd, reported being shot in the leg and witnessing ongoing gunfire aimed at individuals moving towards the food distribution area.
Another witness, Ayman Abu Joda, described the heavy artillery fire from the Israeli tanks, asserting that many were struck. He involved himself in evacuating injured persons, highlighting the recurring tragedy where individuals seek sustenance but are met with violence. The head of the Health Ministry’s records department, Zaher al-Waheidi, verified the casualty figures to the Associated Press.
The GHF announced via social media that its hub opened at 10 a.m. and concluded its operations as soon as the food distribution finished, urging people not to converge on the location. Israel aims for the GHF to replace previously established food distribution systems coordinated by the United Nations and various international aid entities.
In the broader context of the conflict, Gaza’s Health Ministry stated that Israel’s military operation over the past 21 months has resulted in the deaths of 56,077 Palestinians. The hostilities commenced following Hamas's surprise attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities, the majority of whom were civilians, in addition to the captivity of 251 others, many of whom have been released.
This conflict continues to be the deadliest in the history of Israeli-Palestinian confrontations, with the Health Ministry reporting that over half of the casualties have been women and children. The Israeli military maintains that its operations target militants and attributes civilian deaths to Hamas’s presence in densely populated areas. They claim that more than 20,000 militants have been neutralized, although no evidence has been provided to substantiate this assertion, nor has Hamas commented on its own casualty figures.
