At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens suffered injuries on Tuesday, according to local health officials, after the latest incident involving Israeli troops opening fire near an aid centre in Rafah.
Israeli warplanes as well as forces on the ground targeted crowds gathered near an aid distribution centre run by the US-based and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency reported.
Tuesday’s shooting took place at the same location where witnesses say Israeli forces fired a day earlier at crowds heading toward the aid hub.
The Israeli military confirmed its troops had opened fire on Monday but described them as “warning shots” aimed towards “several suspects who advanced toward the troops and posed a threat to them,” around 1km away from the aid distribution site at a time when it was closed.
The individuals were moving towards forces in a way that “posed a threat to [the soldiers]”, the military said, adding that the incident occurred some distance away from the aid distribution site in a “closed military zone”.
The Israeli army denied it was preventing people from reaching the aid site. It has yet to comment on Tuesday’s reported deaths.
The GHF’s aid plan has been criticised by both the UN and established aid charities, which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. In particular they have questioned GHF’s biometric scanning policies, which Israel says are designed to prevent Hamas from profiting from aid, and say the foundation is unable to meet the mounting needs of the territory’s roughly 2 million people.
The private group said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was “conducted safely and without incident within the site”.
The GHF’s distribution of aid, which began last week, has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have reported incidents of Israeli troops firing on crowds near the delivery sites.
On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire.
The Israeli military has repeatedly denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and joined the GHF in blaming Hamas for trying to block civilians from reaching the aid distribution centre. Hamas denied the accusation.
The UN secretary-general has called for an independent investigation into Sunday’s killing of Palestinians near the aid distribution centre in Gaza.
“I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza,” said Antonio Guterres. “It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food,” he added.
“Israel has clear obligations under international humanitarian law to agree to and facilitate humanitarian aid. The unimpeded entry of assistance at scale to meet the enormous needs in Gaza must be restored immediately.”
The UN has described Gaza as the “hungriest place on Earth” and said Israel is allowing only a “trickle” of food into the enclave. The way humanitarian aid was being delivered was “unacceptable” and “dehumanising”, UN human rights chief Volker Turk told the BBC.
“I think what it shows is utter disregard for civilians. Can you imagine people that have been absolutely desperate for food, for medicine, for almost three months and then they have to run for it or try to get it in the most desperate circumstances?” he added.
As a small flow of aid has resumed, Israeli forces – now in control of large parts of Gaza – have kept up attacks on various targets around the enclave, killing more than 3,900 Palestinians since a two-month ceasefire collapsed in mid-March, according to the health ministry in Gaza.
More than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s air and ground war, Gaza health authorities say. The offensive was launched following a Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed – most of them civilians – and 251 hostages were captured.
