Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of Palestinians gathering for food aid in southern Gaza on Saturday morning, resulting in at least 32 fatalities and over 100 injuries, according to witnesses and medical officials.
Those present described the incident as “a massacre,” alleging that Israeli soldiers fired without caution at groups of people—mostly young men—approaching distribution points operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is supported by the U.S. and Israel.
Mahmud Bassal, a civil defense spokesperson, stated that most deaths occurred due to “Israeli gunfire” near the Teina area, close to a GHF aid center east of Khan Younis.
Medical staff told CuriosityNews that many of those wounded were in critical condition, and eyewitnesses reported that children and teenagers were among the dead and injured.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 25 bodies and numerous wounded, while nine others were killed near a site northwest of Rafah, according to civil defense reports.
Dr. Atef al-Hout, director of Nasser Hospital, called the situation “an unprecedented number of casualties in a very short time” and warned the death toll might rise.
“We lack the necessary supplies, medication, and staff to treat all of the wounded," he said.
In response, GHF—which was established to take over Gaza’s aid distribution from the UN—denied any incidents at its facilities, stating the reported shootings happened far from its locations and before operations began. It reiterated warnings to avoid approaching distribution points overnight.
The Israeli military said troops had fired warning shots near Rafah after a group of individuals approached despite orders to stay back. It confirmed an investigation into casualty reports but noted that the area was closed at the time.
Mahmoud Mokeimar, who was among the crowd, said soldiers initially fired warning shots before targeting people directly.
“It was a massacre,” he said. “They shot at us without restraint.” He escaped but reported seeing at least three bodies on the ground and others fleeing while wounded.
Akram Aker claimed troops used machine guns from tanks and drones, with the shooting occurring between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
“They surrounded us and began shooting,” he said, adding that he saw multiple casualties.
Sana’a al-Jaberi, 55, said she fled amid the chaos, witnessing many casualties.
“We shouted for food, but they didn’t respond. They just fired,” she said.
Four additional witnesses also accused Israeli forces of direct attacks on civilians.
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