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At least 40 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza have died in new shootings by Israeli forces, local medics and officials said, raising the total killed in the last two weeks in such incidents in the devastated territory to more than 500.
Though the fragile ceasefire declared between Israel and Iran has boosted hopes in Gaza that the 20-month-long war in the territory may end soon, there were further Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday and reports of at least two incidents involving Israeli troops opening fire on civilians seeking humanitarian assistance.
Hatim Abu Rajliya, 24, said he had been waiting since 5am for food to be distributed from one of the new hubs set up near what is left of the southern city of Rafah by a secretive private organisation called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which started operating in the territory last month with Israeli and US backing.
“There is a sheltered place where we stay and take cover from bullets and shrapnel near the hub in Shakoush [a former neighbourhood of Rafah]. Some people there warned us not to move forward … Shortly after, Israeli military vehicles advanced toward us and began firing bullets and shells directly at the civilians waiting for aid. Many people around us and in nearby areas were wounded. We tried to pull them into our shelter, some were already dead, others were bleeding out,” Abu Tajliya said.
“Among those we pulled in was my cousin, he had been shot in the head, the bullet tore his skull open. We carried him in an empty flour sack, running under gunfire. We eventually found a [three-wheeled motorised cart] and got him to the Red Cross hospital. They told us he should be transferred to Nasser medical complex [in Khan Younis] where his condition is now stable.”
The exact details of the shootings on Tuesday are unclear. Mahmud Bassal, a civil defence spokesperson, told AFP that 25 people were killed and dozens wounded when Israeli forces targeted civilian gatherings near the neighbourhoods of al-Alam and al-Shakoush with bullets and tank shells as they attempted to reach an aid centre in north-west Rafah, about 2km from a US-backed aid distribution point.
Medics in Gaza said they had received casualties from a second incident near the Netzarim corridor, a strategic road that separates the northern third of the territory and is partially held by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Dr Marwan Abu Nasser, director of al-Awda hospital in Jabaliya, said 18 dead and 146 injured civilians were brought in from 11pm to midnight on Monday , with more following during the early hours of Tuesday. All had been waiting for aid near the Netzarim corridor, he told the Guardian.
“The condition of the wounded is extremely critical – around 100 cases are in very serious condition. Almost all of the injuries were caused by gunfire, with bullets striking various parts of the body, especially in the trunk,” Abu Nasser said.
Dr Khalil al-Daqran, spokesperson for al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah, said dozens of injured civilians had been brought in, with nine dead.
Israel’s military said that a gathering overnight was identified adjacent to forces operating in Gaza’s central Netzarim corridor, and it was reviewing reports of casualties.
The GHF said in an email that there had been “nothing” near their aid site south of the Netzarim corridor, nor any reports of casualties near its Rafah hubs.
Food has become extremely scarce in Gaza since a tight blockade on all supplies was imposed by Israel throughout March and April, threatening many of the 2.3 million people who live there with a “critical risk of famine”.
Since the blockade was partly lifted last month, the UN has tried to bring in aid but has faced major obstacles, including rubble-choked roads, Israeli military restrictions, continuing airstrikes and growing anarchy.
There have been multiple incidents in recent weeks in which crowds have been fired on after gathering in the hope of getting aid from one of the dozens of trucks being brought into Gaza by UN agencies each day.
On Monday, 79 trucks from aid organisations and the international community containing food, medical supplies and medications were transferred into Gaza after undergoing thorough security inspections, Israeli authorities said.
The IDF had no immediate comment on the reported shootings in Rafah.
Separately, 10 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a house in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City, while 11 were killed by Israeli gunfire in the southern city of Khan Younis, medics said.
Israel says militants use built-up residential areas for operating cover. Hamas denies this.
Israel hopes the GHF will replace the previous comprehensive aid distribution system run by the UN, which Israeli officials claim allowed Hamas to steal and sell aid. UN agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month-long war, have rejected the new system, saying it is impractical, inadequate and unethical. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas.
Israel launched its campaign to destroy Hamas after the group’s 7 October 2023 attack, during which militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
The death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 56,000, according to the health ministry.
In a statement on Tuesday, the GHF said it had distributed 42m meals in Gaza and that aid distribution at all sites “proceeded without incident”. The group has however formally complained to the IDF “regarding instances of possible harassment by Israeli soldiers directed at its convoys”.
The IDF said its “operational conduct … is accompanied by systematic learning processes” and that it was looking into safety measures such as fences and road signs to guide those seeking to get aid but say troops have only fired at “suspects” who are believed to pose a threat to them.
