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Key Points
- At least three Palestinians were reportedly killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near an aid site in Gaza.
- The Israeli military said it fired warning shots to deter suspects approaching troops but denied shooting civilians.
- The alleged shooting is part of a series of deadly incidents near distribution sites.
Israeli fire killed at least three Palestinians and wounded dozens of others near an aid distribution site operated by the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, local health authorities said.
The alleged shooting reportedly occurred at the same location in southern Gaza where witnesses say Israeli forces fired on crowds of aid-seekers a day earlier.
The Israeli military said it was aware of reports of casualties and the incident was being thoroughly looked into.
It said in a statement that troops had fired warning shots “to prevent several suspects approaching them” about 1 km away from the aid distribution site.
The GHF, a private group sponsored by the United States and endorsed by Israel, claimed there had been no fatalities or injuries at its distribution site or the surrounding area.
The latest incident in a series of reported shootings of civilians seeking food aid has underscored the volatile system of aid delivery into Gaza, following the easing last month of an almost three-month Israeli blockade.
On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens wounded near the same site, one of four operated by the GHF in Rafah.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, relatives of Hussam Wafi, a 37-year-old father-of-six, who was killed near the aid site on Sunday, arrived to pay their last respects before burial. Wafi’s brother Ali said the victims were driven by hunger.
“The US and Israel, what do they tell us? Go and get your food and water, and the aid. When the aid arrives, they hit us. Is this fair?” Wafi told Reuters.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was appalled by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza on Sunday, and called for an independent investigation.
The Israeli military denied firing at people gathering to collect aid, and the GHF said Sunday’s distribution was carried out without incident, describing reports of deaths as fabricated by Hamas.
The GHF said Monday’s deliveries raised the number of meals it has distributed since it began operations to nearly six million.
The United Nations has said most of Gaza’s 2 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade on aid entering the strip.
The GHF launched its first distribution sites last week and said it would launch more.
Its aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the UN and the organisation’s own former executive director, who all claim the GHF does not follow humanitarian principles.
The Palestinian NGOs Network urged a boycott of what it called the “US-Israeli aid mechanism” in protest over the killings on Sunday.
Israel has bombarded Gaza since Hamas’ October 7 attack in which more than 1,200 people, including an estimated 30 children, were killed and over 200 hostages taken, according to the Israeli government. More than 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since October 7, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza.
The October 7 attack was a significant escalation in the long-standing conflict between Israel and Hamas.
