Israeli gunfire kill 17 near Gaza aid site, health officials say

At least 17 Palestinians were killed and dozens more injured by Israeli gunfire on Tuesday as large crowds of displaced residents approached an aid distribution point operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in central Gaza, according to local health authorities.

Medical teams reported that the injured were transported to Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp and Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City.

The Israeli military stated it is investigating the incident. It had previously issued warnings advising Palestinians not to use roads leading to GHF distribution sites between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., declaring those routes as closed military zones.

The GHF has not yet commented on Tuesday’s events.

Operating since late May, the GHF is distributing food in Gaza under a new model that the United Nations has criticized as lacking impartiality and neutrality. Despite this, thousands of Gazans have made long journeys on foot—sometimes exceeding 20 kilometers—in hopes of securing food.

“I went there at 2 a.m. hoping to get some food,” said Mohammad Abu Amr, 40, a father of two. “People told me the aid ran out in five minutes. This is insane and isn’t enough.” He added that he heard gunfire during his trip but did not witness the shooting directly.

While GHF says no incidents have occurred at its designated “secure distribution sites,” Palestinians have described the surrounding areas as chaotic, with access plagued by violence and instability.

The United Nations resumed limited aid deliveries in Gaza on May 19 after an 11-week suspension, warning that the humanitarian situation remains dire in the enclave of 2.3 million people. U.N. officials have described the amount of aid being allowed in as “a drop in the ocean.”

On Tuesday, witnesses said around 40 trucks carrying flour for U.N. warehouses were looted near Nabulsi roundabout along the coastal road in Gaza City by displaced residents and others.

The ongoing war began following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and saw 251 hostages taken. Since then, Israeli military operations have killed more than 54,000 Palestinians—most reported as civilians—according to Gaza health officials. The conflict has also caused widespread destruction across much of the territory.