Palestinians say Israeli troops fire on Gazans trying to reach GHF aid hub, with 34 reportedly killed
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip — At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings near food distribution centers run by a controversial Israeli- and U.S.-backed group in the south of the Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said. The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to try to reach the food "hubs" run by the private contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Two witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire early Monday in an attempt to control the crowds. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said after numerous previous instances that troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspect individuals approaching their positions.
Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah on Monday while another was fatally shot trying to reach a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere in the war-torn enclave.
Palestinians transport bodies to a hospital in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2025, after Israeli forces allegedly opened fire on Palestinians waiting to access an aid distribution center operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the area.
AFP/Getty
Two Palestinians trying to get food at the Rafah site, Heba Jouda and Mohammed Abed, told The Associated Press that Israeli forces fired on the crowds at around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout. The traffic circle, hundreds of yards from the GHF center, has repeatedly been the scene of shootings. The military has designated specific routes to access the food centers, and GHF has warned aid-seekers that leaving the roads is dangerous, but many do in an attempt to get to the food first.
Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. The funding for and management of GHF have remained unclear since it began operations in mid-May, but it is staffed by private, well-armed American security contractors.
U.N. agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it can't meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the U.N.'s agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, slammed GHF in a statement on Monday as a "lethal distribution system" and lamented that "tragedies go on unabated" in Gaza "while attention shifts elsewhere," in an apparent reference to the new outbreak of significant fighting between Israel and Iran.
Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran's nuclear sites and senior scientists and commanders late on Thursday, sparking an ongoing exchange of fire that the Israeli military says has killed at least two dozen civilians in the country, and reportedly hundreds in Iran.
"Scores of people have been killed & injured in the past days including of starving people trying to get some food from a lethal distribution system," Lazzarini said in a social media post. "Restrictions on bringing in aid from the UN including @UNRWA continue despite an abundance of assistance ready to be moved into Gaza. In addition, severe shortages of fuel are now hampering the delivery of critical services especially health & water. Killings & wars will breed more wars & bloodshed. Civilians will always suffer first & suffer most."
Israeli officials have repeatedly accused United Nations aid agencies of failing to collect and distribute food it allows into Gaza, a significant portion of which the Israeli military now controls and warns civilians to avoid due to its ongoing operations.
Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the GHF sites opened last month. Experts, including U.N. agency chiefs, have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, at risk of famine.
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More than 30 killed at controversial foundation's aid distribution sites in Gaza: Health officials
More than 30 people in Gaza were killed on Monday by alleged Israeli gunfire while trying to reach food aid distribution centers, the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health (MOH) said. One person was killed near the Netzarim corridor at a distribution site in central Gaza and 33 people were killed near an aid distribution center in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to the ministry. An additional four people were killed at the site near the Netzarim corridor on Sunday but were not found until Monday, the MOH told ABC News. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment on the incident. The Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, the executive chairman of GHF, did not address the alleged incidents in a post on X on Monday afternoon, where he said aid distribution at four sites "proceeded without incident." He said three American contract staff sustained "minor injuries" during Iranian attacks on Israel on Sunday, but received medical attention and were diagnosed with concussions. So far on Monday, 68 people have been killed in Gaza and at least 180 people have been injured, according to the ministry. The aid sites, run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), have been steeped in controversy since they opened about three weeks ago. The new distribution system was imposed by Israel after the government partly lifted a two-and-a-half-month blockade on all humanitarian aid, which caused widespread malnutrition and famine-like conditions, according to food security experts. International aid organizations refused to participate in the new system, with deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq saying the plan is not impartial, neutral or independent. There have been multiple reports of Israeli forces shooting at civilians trying to reach the aid sites to get food, according to the MOH, eyewitness accounts and international aid organizations working in Gaza. The IDF has previously released statements about the reports, saying that video footage allegedly showing the shootings is "under review." The IDF also said it has fired "warning shots" towards people who were allegedly "advancing while posing a threat to the troops." The GHF previously denied reports of chaos at the distribution sites but has closed them at times due to "maintenance" and "repair work." Gazans have said neither the amount of aid distributed, nor the calories within the aid packages from GHF, is enough to meet the needs of the civilian population. Dr. Abdulwhhab Abu Alamrain, a physician at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza, said having distribution sites -- as opposed to meeting people where they are -- does not allow for equitable aid access. "Vulnerable families with elderly, widows with kids and sole survivor kids can never get aid [because] they would never be able to walk miles or [carry] the package or fight to get a turn in [an] unorganized aid distribution center," he told ABC News. Previously, aid was distributed by organizations such as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which ran hundreds of sites across the strip. However, Israel has accused of the U.N. of being "anti-Israel and anti-Semitic" and UNRWA as being "infiltrated" by terrorism. Israel has also accused Hamas militants of stealing aid meant for civilians. Hamas denies the accusations and claims that Israel is weaponizing aid through GHF. Dr. Ayesha Khan, a U.S. emergency medicine physician and humanitarian aid worker who did a month-long medical mission at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in late 2024, said it is frustrating to see the new distribution plan because the U.N.'s method for distributing aid in Gaza has been successful for decades. "We have a way to distribute aid," Khan told ABC News. "In my opinion, this GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, was created in order to weaponize humanitarian aid." Khan said she spoke to a friend in Gaza who said he didn't consider the GHF plan to be "humanitarian aid" but rather "humiliation aid." "You've eliminated everybody being able to get aid because getting aid is contingent upon you coming to the distribution point," she said. "And sure enough, as soon as the people were told that there was food, after 11, 12, weeks of starvation, they swarmed the area, desperate to get food, of which there was not enough, and the soldiers opened fire." "The U.N. has global rules around humanitarian principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, independence. Those are those rules are not being followed by GHF," Khan added. The most recent deaths at distribution sites come as U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described Israel's warfare in Gaza as inflicting "horrifying, unconscionable suffering" on civilians. "Israel's means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza," Turk said during a meeting of the Humans Rights Council on Monday. "Israel has weaponized food and blocked lifesaving aid. I urge immediate, impartial investigations into deadly attacks on desperate civilians trying to reach food distribution centers. Disturbing, dehumanizing rhetoric from senior Israeli government officials is reminiscent of the gravest of crimes." Turk also said Israel's refusal to allow international journalists to report from Gaza has helped Hamas "avoid transparency and accountability." Since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel, more than 55,400 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 128,900 have been injured, according to the MOH. During Hamas's surprise attack, the militant group murdered nearly 1,200 Israelis and took captive 251 others, according to Israeli officials. Hamas is still holding 53 hostages, living and dead. Among them are the bodies of two Americans.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
34 killed in deadliest day of shootings near Gaza's new food distribution centers, authorities say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli troops opened fire Monday as crowds tried to reach Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in Gaza, witnesses said. The 34 people killed, according to health officials, made it the deadliest day of such shootings since the new aid system launched last month. The Israeli military didn't immediately comment on Monday's shootings. But after some previous ones that have been a near-daily occurrence since the aid centers opened three weeks ago, it said its troops had fired warning shots at what it called suspects approaching their positions, though it didn't say whether those shots struck anyone. Palestinians say they face the choice of starving or risking death as they make their way past Israeli forces to reach the distribution points, which are run by a private contractor, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation . The Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers opened. The ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed Monday trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another was killed while headed to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people who weren't trying to get to distribution centers were killed elsewhere. Palestinians are desperate to feed their families after most food ran out during the 2 1/2 months this year when Israel barred all supplies from entering the territory. Israel has eased the blockade since last month to let in a trickle of aid. Witnesses describe crowds under fire Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. 'It's getting worse day by day,' she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event it has seen, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed . The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of meters (yards) from the GHF center, has been the scene of repeated shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. A new aid distribution system Israel and the United States say the GHF system is intended to replace the U.N.-led humanitarian operation that has delivered aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war. Israel contends that the new mechanism is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. U.N. agencies and major aid groups deny that there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas and have rejected the new system . They say it can't meet the population's needs and turns food into a weapon for Israel to carry out its military goals, including moving the more than 2 million Palestinians into a 'sterile' enclave in the southern Gaza. Speaking at Britain's House of Commons' Foreign Affairs Committee on Monday, an official with Doctors Without Borders said Israel's claims of extensive diversion by Hamas were 'specious and cynical,' and were intended 'to undermine a humanitarian system which was actually functioning.' 'This is neither a humanitarian enterprise nor a system. This is basically lethal chaos,' Anna Halford, a field coordinator for the group, said when asked by lawmakers about the GHF centers. Experts warn that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on aid entry have put Gaza at risk of famine . Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians , more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Its count doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel launched its campaign aiming to destroy Hamas after the group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, in which militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages , fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ This story was corrected to reflect that authorities said 34 people, not 38, were killed near the food centers. Follow AP's war coverage at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
34 Palestinians killed in new shootings near food distribution centers, medics say
DEIR Al Balah, Gaza Strip — At least 34 Palestinians were killed Monday in new shootings on the roads leading to Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip, the local Health Ministry said. The toll was the deadliest yet in the near-daily shootings that have taken place as thousands of Palestinians move through Israeli military-controlled areas to reach the food centers. As on previous days, witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire in an attempt to control crowds. The ministry says several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in such shootings since the centers, run by the private contractor Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, opened three weeks ago. There was no immediate comment by the Israeli military. It has said in previous instances that troops fired warning shots at what it calls suspects approaching their positions. Gaza's Health Ministry said 33 Palestinians were killed trying to reach the GHF center near the southern city of Rafah and another on route to a GHF hub in central Gaza. It said four other people were killed elsewhere. Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians massed around 4 a.m. at the Flag Roundabout before the scheduled opening time of the Rafah food center, according to Heba Jouda and Mohamed Abed, two Palestinians who were in the crowd. People fell to the ground, trying to take cover, they said. 'Fire was coming from everywhere,' said Jouda, who has repeatedly made the journey to get food for her family over the past week. 'It's getting worse day by day,' she said. The Red Cross field hospital nearby received some 200 injured Monday, the highest single mass casualty event, the International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement. Only a day earlier, it said, around 170 were brought to the facility, most of them wounded by gunshots while trying to reach the GHF center. The Health Ministry toll made it the deadliest day around the food sites since June 2, when 31 people were killed. The Flag Roundabout, hundreds of yards from the GHF center, has been a repeated scene of shootings. It is on the route designated by the Israeli military for people to take to reach the center. Palestinians over the past weeks have said Israeli troops open fire to prevent people from moving past a certain point on the road before the scheduled opening of the center or because people leave the road. A GHF spokesperson told The Associated Press on Sunday that 'none of the incidents to date have occurred at our sites or during operating hours.' It said the incidents have involved aid-seekers who were moving 'during prohibited times ... or trying to take a short cut.' It said it was trying to improve safety measures, including by recently moving the opening times from nighttime to daylight hours. Israel and the United States say the new GHF system is needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off aid. GHF says there has been no violence in or around the sites themselves. U.N. agencies and major aid groups, which have delivered humanitarian aid across Gaza since the start of the 20-month Israel-Hamas war, have rejected the new system, saying it can't meet the territory's needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon. They deny there is widespread theft of aid by Hamas. Palestinian health officials say scores of people have been killed and hundreds wounded since the sites opened last month. Experts have warned that Israel's ongoing military campaign and restrictions on the entry of aid have put Gaza, which is home to some 2 million Palestinians, at risk of famine. Israel's military campaign since October 2023 has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. Hamas started the latest war in Gaza with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, with militants killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Shurafa and Magdy write for the Associated Press. Magdy reported from Cairo.
