Israeli forces opened fire near an aid distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza, on Tuesday, killing at least 27 Palestinians and wounding more than 160, according to local health officials, marking the third fatal incident near food handout sites in as many days. The Israel Defense Forces said troops fired "warning shots" near individuals who approached them in a way they perceived as threatening.
The shooting occurred around 4 a.m. near the Al-Alam roundabout, roughly half a kilometer from a designated aid site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.- and Israeli-backed organization. The IDF said it was "aware of reports of casualties" and is reviewing the incident. "After the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects," the military said in a statement.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 27 people were killed and 161 injured. Hisham Mhanna, spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, confirmed that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 wounded, with 19 pronounced dead on arrival and eight others succumbing to injuries. Hospital officials said most injuries were gunshot wounds.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene. Rasha al-Nahal said, "There was gunfire from all directions." She counted more than a dozen bodies and said she had to collect pasta and rice from the ground after finding no food left at the site. "Death is more dignified than what's happening to us," she said.
The GHF, which is responsible for distributing aid through a new system set up in coordination with the Israeli military, denied that the violence occurred at their distribution point. "This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site," the group said, confirming the IDF was investigating whether civilians entered a "closed military zone."
The shootings took place within a militarized corridor in Rafah, which the IDF says is intended to prevent Hamas from diverting aid. The U.N., however, has rejected the new system, calling it insufficient for addressing widespread famine and accusing Israel of using aid as leverage.
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the agency had verified the death toll and condemned the incident. U.N. High Commissioner Volker Türk said Palestinians face "the grimmest of choices: die from starvation or risk being killed while trying to access the meagre food that is being made available through Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism."
The area is off-limits to independent journalists not embedded with the IDF. Neima al-Aaraj, who arrived from Khan Younis, said the Israeli fire was "indiscriminate." "After the martyrs and wounded, I won't return," she said. "Either way we will die."
On Sunday and Monday, at least 34 people were killed in two similar incidents near aid sites, according to Gaza health officials. The Israeli military said it fired only "warning shots" toward individuals approaching troops outside designated zones. The GHF insisted "there were no injuries, fatalities or incidents" at its facilities during those distributions.
Meanwhile, in northern Gaza, the IDF said three Israeli soldiers were killed in combat Monday, reportedly from an explosion in Jabaliya. It marked one of the deadliest single attacks on Israeli troops since the March breakdown of a temporary ceasefire.
The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel and took 251 hostages. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, Israel's military response has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Israel says it has killed 20,000 militants and lost over 860 soldiers, including 400 inside Gaza. The ministry's figures, though affiliated with Hamas' government, are regarded as credible by the U.N. and medical observers.
