Israeli forces on Sunday killed at least 27 Palestinians seeking food at different aid distribution sites in Gaza after opening fire on the hungry crowds, according to reports.
The latest casualties amid the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza come as Palestinians were hit by a severe famine, leading to food shortages in the region. U.N. officials claim Israel deliberately created Gaza’s hunger crisis by blocking humanitarian aid to the territory. The Israeli military controls the entry and exit points into the Gaza Strip.
Witnesses described Sunday’s events as indiscriminate gunfire.
“I couldn’t stop and help them because of the bullets,” said a man named Yousef Abed, who was traveling to a distribution site with crowds of people.
“Troops were trying to prevent people from advancing. They opened fire and we fled. Some people were shot,” said Hamza Matter, a Palestinian eyewitness seeking aid at another location.
Hospital officials also commented on the news, with southern Gaza’s Nasser Hospital saying it retrieved multiple bodies from routes near distribution points in Khan Younis and Rafah. It said more were killed by Israeli troops near the Morag Corridor in southern Gaza.
Others were killed near a site close to the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza, according to the nearby Al Awda Hospital.
The hospitals’ figures bring the total casualties to 27 deaths, four more than the initial death count.
The reported gunfire occurred near food sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which took over Gaza aid distribution in May. The organization has faced international criticism over recent outbreaks of deadly violence at its distribution points.
Israel has carried out similar gunfire in recent days, leading to dozens more deaths at these sites.
The Israeli military said its troops have only fired warning shots toward the hungry crowds approaching distribution sites and claimed the casualty figures have been greatly exaggerated.
The death toll figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
TOP TRUMP OFFICIALS WITKOFF AND HUCKABEE VISIT GAZA AID SITES AS HUNGER CRISIS WORSENS
The United States is determining the best course of action for delivering humanitarian aid into Gaza to relieve the suffering. Late last week, the Trump administration sent special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee to the war-torn region to assess the humanitarian crisis for themselves. Witkoff and Huckabee are expected to report back to President Donald Trump and formulate a final plan for food and humanitarian aid.
The pair’s visit came days after Trump said the U.S. would set up food centers in Gaza to address “real starvation.” Trump’s comments contradicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who insisted there was no starvation in Gaza happening at the hands of Israel.
