Gaza Aid Turns Deadly: Families Shot While Seeking Food Amid Failed Relief Operation
Ihab had taken his two sons, Yazan and 15-year-old Yazid, from their shelter in al-Mawasi to Rafah's aid distribution center. After walking for over an hour to reach the site near the al-Alam Roundabout, he told his sons to stay on a nearby hill for safety while he scoped the area.
'I saw tanks nearby and was overcome with fear,' Ihab said. 'Moments later, gunfire erupted. I turned and saw Yazan collapse—he had been shot.'
Yazid recalls the chaos: 'We were standing where our father told us, and then the tanks just opened fire. My brother was shot in the stomach—I saw his insides. It was terrifying.'
Yazan was rushed to Nasser Hospital in a donkey cart. Doctors performed emergency surgery to repair severe damage to his intestines and spleen. His mother, Iman, sits beside him, wondering aloud why people seeking food are met with bullets.
'This isn't the first time,' Ihab added. 'Last time, we barely survived a deadly stampede. This time, my son was shot—and we still didn't get any food. But I'll keep trying. Hunger is killing us.'
A Failing Aid Operation Backed by Military Contractors
The GHF, launched in early 2025, promotes itself as a neutral aid effort but is operated with the help of U.S. private military contractors. Its credibility took a major hit even before aid was distributed: founder Jake Wood resigned just days before the first drop, citing ethical concerns. Soon after, Boston Consulting Group also pulled out.
Global aid organizations have condemned the GHF's militarized and chaotic distribution methods.
Others Caught in the Crossfire
Nearby in the same hospital tent lies 40-year-old Mohammed al-Homs, also a father of five. He had arrived at the distribution site only to be shot twice—once in the leg and once in the mouth, shattering his front teeth.
'I collapsed on the ground, bleeding, surrounded by the dead and wounded. It felt like the end of the world,' he said. He lay there for nearly an hour before others were able to carry him to safety. 'That was my first and last time trying to get aid.'
'I Never Thought I'd Be Shot Over Food'
Another victim, 36-year-old Khaled al-Lahham, had previously received aid on May 27 and returned hoping for more. He cares for ten displaced relatives in al-Mawasi. As he and five friends approached the site in a car, gunfire erupted again.
'A bullet went straight through my thigh. People were screaming and running. Panic erupted as bullets rained from both tanks and drones,' he recounted. Too injured to move, Khaled was rescued by a friend and taken to the hospital.
'I never thought getting food would mean risking my life,' he said. 'If they don't want us to have aid, why lure us there and kill us?'
Final Thoughts
The GHF operation continues to raise critical questions. What began as a promise of humanitarian relief has turned into a theater of chaos and violence. Human rights observers warn that these incidents not only violate international humanitarian law but also signal a disturbing trend of militarizing aid in active conflict zones.
'This is no longer an aid operation,' said a local paramedic. 'It's a battlefield.'
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