Dozens Killed In Gaza As Aid Seekers Come Under Fire For Third Consecutive Day

 

For the third day in a row, Palestinians attempting to reach a food aid distribution site in southern Gaza have come under deadly fire, with nearly 30 people killed and dozens more injured, according to Gaza health authorities and Nasser Hospital.

The incident took place early Tuesday in Tel al-Sultan, a neighborhood in Rafah, where Palestinians were en route to receive aid when Israeli forces reportedly opened fire. The Israeli military confirmed it had engaged multiple times after observing “several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes.”

In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed troops first issued warning shots. “After the suspects failed to retreat,” they said, “additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops.” The IDF also said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties.

Palestinian officials reported at least 27 people killed and dozens wounded. Footage from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis showed numerous casualties arriving by stretcher. Medical staff say the hospital is overwhelmed and unable to accommodate all incoming patients. Dr. Marwan al-Hams, head of Gaza’s field hospitals, said the ICU is at capacity, with only patient deaths freeing up beds. Most injuries were due to gunfire and concentrated in the upper body, he added. The hospital has issued an urgent call for blood donations.

The gunfire occurred near the Al-Alam roundabout, west of Rafah, close to the same location as similar deadly incidents on Sunday and Monday. A diplomat familiar with the situation said Israeli forces fired at what they perceived as a “large group of Palestinians” posing an “imminent threat” as they approached the distribution area.

The controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which coordinates aid distribution in coordination with U.S. and Israeli authorities, had announced early Tuesday that a site would open in southern Gaza and directed civilians to use a designated corridor from 5 a.m. An hour later, the post was updated to say the site would remain closed—only for it to eventually reopen and distribute 21 truckloads of food. GHF stated that the operation occurred “safely and without incident at our site,” asserting that any violence happened “well beyond our secure distribution site and control.”

The shootings on Tuesday follow deadly incidents on both previous days. On Monday, three Palestinians were killed and dozens injured while heading to the same site. The Israeli military said warning shots were fired approximately a kilometer away from the location. On Sunday, at least 31 Palestinians were reported killed in the same area, according to Palestinian authorities. Israel’s military denied firing within or near the aid distribution point.

As Gaza faces worsening famine conditions amid an 11-week Israeli blockade, the repeated violence around aid access has drawn international condemnation. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk called the attacks on desperate civilians “unconscionable” and demanded a “prompt and impartial investigation.”

Turk emphasized that civilians are being forced into “the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel’s militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism.”

The escalating death toll underscores the urgent need for a reliable and safe aid delivery process as humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate across the Gaza Strip.