Gaza City: At least three Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded by Israeli fire near an aid distribution site run by the U.S.-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), local health authorities reported on Monday. The incident marks another escalation amid the fragile security situation that complicates humanitarian efforts in Gaza.
The Israeli military acknowledged awareness of the reported casualties and stated the event was under thorough investigation. According to the military, troops conducting operations overnight in Rafah — an area under full Israeli control in southern Gaza — fired warning shots “to prevent several suspects approaching them.” The military added the incident occurred approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from the aid distribution site.
The GHF, a private organization backed by the U.S. and endorsed by Israel, denied any casualties at their distribution location or its vicinity. Reuters was unable to independently verify the conflicting accounts.
This latest incident follows a tense period since Israel eased an almost three-month blockade last month, aimed at facilitating humanitarian aid into Gaza. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported at least 31 deaths and numerous injuries near the same GHF site — one of four the foundation operates in Rafah.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed shock over reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid, calling for an independent investigation into the incident.
The Israeli military denied firing on civilians gathering for aid on Sunday. The GHF described reports of deaths during that distribution as fabricated by Hamas.
In a separate release, the Israeli military announced the expansion of ground operations across Gaza over the past day, claiming to have killed armed militants and dismantled weapons storage sites and military infrastructure both above and underground.
Meanwhile, the Gaza health ministry reported that Israeli strikes killed 51 people and wounded 500 others in the previous 24 hours. Among those casualties, at least 16 were reportedly killed earlier Monday in Jabalia, northern Gaza, when a house was struck.
Risk of Famine
The GHF reported that Monday’s aid deliveries brought its total distributed meals since operations began to nearly six million.
The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2 million residents face famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade severely restricted aid shipments.
Since launching its first distribution sites last week, the GHF announced plans to open additional locations. However, the foundation’s approach—bypassing traditional humanitarian organizations—has drawn sharp criticism from the U.N. and aid groups for allegedly not adhering to established humanitarian principles.
The Palestinian NGOs Network called for a boycott of what it labeled the “U.S.-Israeli aid mechanism,” protesting the killings near the aid site on Sunday.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, relatives gathered to mourn Hussam Wafi, a 37-year-old father of six who was killed near the aid site. His brother Ali expressed deep anguish over the incident.
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“The U.S. and Israel, what do they tell us? Go and get your food and water, and the aid. When the aid arrives, they hit us. Is this fair?” Wafi said to Reuters.
Abu Youssef, Wafi’s neighbor, added: “They were going peacefully, they were killed. They went to get food and water for their children, to get a can of hummus or fava beans, a box or whatever is available, and they got shot, they died.”
Ceasefire Talks to Resume
Amid continued violence, Israel and Hamas traded accusations over the collapse of a new ceasefire mediation effort led by Arab nations and the United States. The proposed truce aimed to secure a temporary halt to hostilities and facilitate the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
A Palestinian official close to the talks confirmed Hamas leaders remain in constant contact with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo and Doha.
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Israel has expressed willingness to accept a temporary truce to enable hostage release but insists the conflict will only end once Hamas is expelled from Gaza.
Israel’s offensive, launched in response to Hamas’s attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and the capture of 251 hostages. Since then, Israeli military operations have devastated Gaza, with over 54,000 Palestinians killed and widespread destruction forcing many to seek refuge in makeshift shelters.
