Move FM Global News

GAZA – At least 32 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds waiting for food at two separate aid distribution points in Gaza on Sunday, according to reports from local authorities and eyewitnesses.

Deadly Attack in Rafah and Gaza City

Gaza’s Government Media Office stated that Israeli tanks fired on thousands of civilians gathered at an aid distribution site in southern Gaza’s Rafah early Sunday, killing at least 31 people. Shortly afterward, another person was shot dead at a similar distribution point near the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza City.

The aid was being distributed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial group backed by Israel and the United States. The United Nations and other international aid organizations have refused to cooperate with the GHF, accusing it of lacking neutrality and serving as a tool for Israel’s military objectives in Gaza.

Conflicting Accounts

The Israeli military denied targeting civilians, stating in a preliminary inquiry that its forces did not fire on people “near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.” It dismissed reports of mass casualties as “false.”

However, the GHF told The Associated Press that Israeli soldiers fired “warning shots” as Palestinians gathered for food. The group denied reports of mass casualties, calling them “false reporting.”

Eyewitness Ibrahim Abu Saoud, who was present at the Rafah distribution point, contradicted the Israeli military’s claims. He told AP that Israeli forces opened fire on civilians approaching the site, leaving many with gunshot wounds.

“We weren’t able to help him,” Abu Saoud said, describing a young man who died at the scene.

Aid Distribution “A Death Trap”

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), condemned the attack, stating: “Aid distribution has become a death trap.”

Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said Palestinians are risking their lives for basic sustenance.

“Palestinians are being killed while trying to secure one meal for their children,” she said. “They know these distribution points are controversial, backed by the U.S. and Israel, but they have no other option.”

The Gaza Government Media Office accused Israel of using aid as a “tool of war,” calling the distribution sites “mass death traps, not humanitarian relief points.”

Broader Humanitarian Crisis

The attack comes amid a worsening famine in Gaza, where Israel’s blockade has severely restricted food and medical aid. The Palestinian Medical Relief Society noted that only four aid distribution points remain in Gaza, down from 400 before the war.

Meanwhile, Hamas announced it was ready to resume ceasefire negotiations, but Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed to continue military operations in Gaza “regardless of any negotiations.”

The deadly incident marks the latest in a series of violent confrontations at aid sites.er in the week.

— With reporting from The Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and Gaza officials.

(File photo).