Israel kills 32 starving Palestinians in latest US aid point 'massacre'
Israeli forces have committed a new massacre targeting Palestinian aid seekers in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 32 people and wounding scores more, the Palestinian health ministry said on Sunday.
According to eyewitnesses and local officials, Israeli troops opened fire directly on civilians gathered at two US-Israeli food distribution points in Rafah and central Gaza.
At least 31 people were killed in Rafah and one in central Gaza, while over 200 were wounded, many of them critically.
The health ministry accused Israel of using the new aid mechanism as a 'trap for mass killings' and a tool for 'the forced displacement of Gaza's population.'
It added that those killed in the 'massacre' had single gunshot wounds to the head or chest, indicating clear intent to kill.
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In Rafah, thousands were instructed to queue some 500 metres from the US distribution point at the Al-Alam roundabout, local journalist Mohammed Ghareeb told Middle East Eye.
As crowds approached the area, Israeli forces rained down bullets on them from every direction, eyewitnesses said.
'I was standing among the crowd, but when people started rushing toward the distribution point, I couldn't move with them because there were hundreds pushing forward,' Marwa al-Naouq told MEE.
'Then a quadcopter appeared and began firing at them. After that, the Israeli army opened fire directly on the crowd, and American security forces fired tear gas canisters.
'Dozens were killed and injured as people ran in every direction, trying to escape.'
'The occupation targeted hungry people as if these aid distribution centres were distributing death'
- Marwan al-Hems, Palestinian doctor
Marwan al-Hems, director of field hospitals in Gaza, described the scene as a 'massacre and a slaughter".
'The occupation targeted hungry people as if these aid distribution centres were distributing death instead,' he told MEE.
Southern Gaza hospitals were overwhelmed, with patients lining hallways and lying on floors due to a lack of beds and medical supplies, Hems said.
'We tried to save as many as we could, but we lost some due to a shortage of blood,' he added.
Hamas accused Israel of weaponising aid, saying the food distribution system had become part of a broader campaign of genocide.
The Israeli military claimed it was 'unaware of injuries caused by [Israeli army] troops.'
Ambushed
In both Rafah and central Gaza, eyewitnesses described the incidents as 'ambushes' carried out by Israeli forces.
In coordination with American security personnel working for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), starving civilians were instructed in the early hours to go to a designated point near the Wadi Gaza Bridge, ostensibly to receive aid.
Instead, they were met with direct gunfire, according to the Gaza-based Government Media Office.
Many remain 'trapped under continuous gunfire in the vicinity of the aid centre,' the office reported.
A similar scene unfolded in Rafah, where thousands had gathered overnight to receive food.
'The Americans are lying to us... They call it a humanitarian point then kill us there'
- Arafat Siyam, shooting survivor
'They told us to go to this humanitarian zone to receive food - then they killed us,' Arafat Siyam, a survivor, told MEE.
Siyam's brother was killed. The two had arrived at the aid site at 11 PM Friday, hoping to bring back food for their starving children.
'The Americans are lying to us. Since when have they cared about humanitarian work?' he said.
'They call it a humanitarian point then kill us there.'
According to the media office, Israeli forces have killed at least 49 Palestinians and injured 305 others at GHF-run distribution centres since the operation began on 27 May 2025 .
GHF, a scandal-plagued US organisation backed by Israel, was launched to bypass the UN's aid infrastructure in Gaza.
Senior humanitarian officials have condemned the scheme , saying Israel should stop blocking the UN-led system and allow aid to flow without obstruction.
Overall, Israeli forces have killed over 54,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, including at least 16,000 children.
Additionally, over 10,000 people are missing and presumed dead, while nearly 120,000 others have been wounded.
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