51 Palestinians killed while awaiting aid in Gaza, health officials report

At least 51 Palestinians were killed and over 200 injured while gathering for humanitarian aid in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and a local hospital.

Witnesses told the Associated Press that Israeli forces launched an airstrike on a nearby house before opening fire on a crowd assembled in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the incident.

This event appears unrelated to a recently launched Israeli- and U.S.-backed aid delivery system that has already sparked tension and violence.

Eyewitness Accounts Describe Chaos

Yousef Nofal, an eyewitness, described seeing people bleeding and motionless after Israeli troops began shooting. “It was a massacre,” he said, noting that the firing continued even as people tried to flee.

Another witness, Mohammed Abu Qeshfa, said he heard a powerful explosion followed by intense gunfire and tank shelling. “I survived by a miracle,” he added.

Victims were taken to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, which confirmed the death toll. Samaher Meqdad, at the hospital searching for her missing relatives, questioned the violence: “Why did they shoot at the youth? Why? Aren’t we human beings?”

Tensions Over Aid Delivery

Palestinians report repeated shootings by Israeli forces at civilians trying to access food distribution points operated by a separate aid group linked to the U.S. and Israel. Local health officials claim dozens have been killed and hundreds injured in these incidents.

The Israeli military has admitted to firing warning shots at individuals it says approached in a suspicious way.

Aid Access Falls Short of Growing Needs

Israel says the new aid distribution system, managed by the private Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, is meant to prevent aid from being diverted to Hamas. However, U.N. agencies and humanitarian organizations dispute the claims of aid diversion and criticize the system for being inadequate and undermining humanitarian principles by letting Israel control access.

Warnings of potential famine continue to mount for the territory’s 2 million residents.

The U.N. has operated a parallel aid system throughout the 20-month conflict between Israel and Hamas but has struggled with Israeli military restrictions, lawlessness, and widespread looting since Israel partially lifted a blockade in mid-May. These challenges have slowed the delivery of aid that Israel has permitted to enter.

Conflict Death Toll Continues to Rise

Since launching its military campaign in response to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack—where about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage—Israel has killed more than 55,300 people in Gaza, according to the Health Ministry there. Over half of those killed are women and children. The figures do not separate civilians from militants.

As of now, 53 hostages remain in Gaza, fewer than half believed to be alive, after others were released during temporary ceasefires and negotiated agreements.