Daijiworld Media Network – Gaza City
Gaza, Jun 4: In yet another heart-wrenching incident highlighting the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza, 27 people were killed and over 90 injured on Tuesday when Israeli forces reportedly opened fire near an aid distribution point in the Al-Alam area of southern Rafah. The site, located close to a US-backed humanitarian centre, became a scene of chaos and tragedy as civilians gathered in hopes of securing food.
According to Gaza’s civil defence authorities, the incident occurred when Israeli tanks and drones fired on civilians awaiting aid. The Israeli army, however, claimed its forces had fired warning shots towards individuals who allegedly posed a threat by straying from designated aid routes. A formal investigation has been launched.
The International Committee of the Red Cross confirmed the casualty toll, terming the scale of mass casualty events in Gaza as "unprecedented."
The shooting, which happened just a kilometre from the aid facility operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a US-backed organisation—has sparked global condemnation. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres termed the killings "unacceptable", while UN human rights chief Volker Turk denounced the attack on civilians as a “war crime.”
Eyewitnesses described a harrowing scene. Rania al-Astal, a 30-year-old woman from Rafah, said people were fired upon every time they approached the roundabout. Another witness, Mohammed al-Shaer, recounted that initial shots were fired into the air, followed by direct fire on the crowd.
One grieving family at a local hospital mourned Reem al-Akhras, a woman killed in the shooting while trying to collect food. Her son, Zain Zidan, wept as he said, “She went to bring us food, and this is what happened to her.” Her husband, Mohamed Zidan, called the aid a “trap,” adding, “This is not humanitarian aid.”
The latest violence follows a similar shooting on Sunday at the same location, which left 31 people dead. The UN has called for an independent investigation into both incidents.
Amid international scrutiny, GHF stated its operations continued safely on Tuesday, but acknowledged the gravity of the situation. Meanwhile, the White House has said it is “looking into the veracity” of the reports.
The death toll in Gaza continues to rise, with the Hamas-run health ministry reporting at least 4,240 deaths since Israel resumed its offensive in March, pushing the overall toll of the war to 54,510, most of them civilians.
As the humanitarian crisis deepens, global calls are growing louder for Israel to allow a more robust and unhindered flow of aid into the battered enclave.