Move FM Global News

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured while trying to reach food aid in Gaza, according to people who witnessed the events and local health workers.

Because of Israel’s blockade and military attacks during its nearly two-year-long war with Hamas, it is now tough to get food and supplies safely into the region. Hunger is spreading fast, and many families are close to starvation.

To help, some countries have started dropping food from planes. However, aid groups and the United Nations say that this method is not only expensive but also dangerous. Many food parcels fall into the sea or land in unsafe areas where Israeli forces have told people to stay away. Still, Palestinians take significant risks in collecting even small amounts of flour or canned food.

In one case, an aid dropped by parachute landed in Zuweida, a town in central Gaza. People ran toward the packages, desperate to grab anything they could. Some began fighting each other, and a few used sticks. One food parcel even fell on a tent where displaced people were living, injuring a man. He was taken to a hospital, and has since died.

The crisis worsened last weekend near the Zikim Crossing, a main entry point for aid in northern Gaza. At least 16 people were killed and over 130 were injured, according to hospital records. It’s still unclear what exactly happened, but witnesses and health workers said Israeli troops had fired at the crowd.

In another location, the Morag Corridor, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on thousands of people waiting for aid trucks. A man named Mohammed al-Masri said soldiers shot young men who were trying to move to the front of the line. “They shot many people in the head and back,” he said.

Hospitals across Gaza reported receiving bodies from different aid sites. One hospital said it had received 10 bodies from Morag and five more from another aid location supported by an American-Israeli group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). GHF said there were no violent incidents at their sites and that they only use pepper spray or warning shots to control large crowds.

However, witnesses and doctors said Israeli forces had shot into crowds again on Monday, this time near the Netzarim Corridor. Eight people were killed, and 50 others were injured.

The Israeli army says it only fires warning shots if it feels threatened, and denies knowing of any deaths.

The war began in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with heavy attacks. Gaza’s Health Ministry says over 60,900 Palestinians have since been killed—two thirds of them women and children. The UN considers these numbers the most trustworthy, although Israel disputes them, and it has not shared its own count.