Gaza’s civil defence agency has said that Israeli forces were responsible for the deaths of at least 31 Palestinians who were waiting for food aid. According to Mahmud Bassal, the civil defence spokesperson, the victims were among over 60 people killed on Friday during Israeli attacks at and near aid distribution points across the Gaza Strip. “Five were shot while waiting for food in the south,” he said. “Twenty-six others were killed near the Netzarim corridor.”
The Netzarim corridor is a strip of land under Israeli control that cuts across Gaza. Thousands of desperate Palestinians gather there every day hoping to collect food rations. Hunger continues to spread in the area after more than 20 months of fighting, yet aid distribution has become a death sentence.
Israeli Forces Fired at ‘Suspects’ at Gaza Aid Site
The Israeli military admitted that its troops in the Netzarim corridor opened fire at individuals approaching their position. They said warning shots were fired first. “An aircraft struck and eliminated the suspects to remove the threat,” they said. However, the victims were described by local sources as hungry civilians waiting for relief supplies.
Since May, similar incidents have taken place around Netzarim, especially after the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operating its own aid centres. While Israel briefly eased a two-month blockade, its military’s involvement has raised deep suspicion. Chaos has dominated the sites, and major aid agencies like the UN have refused to partner with the foundation, claiming it is aligned with Israeli military strategy and not neutral humanitarian goals.
More Gaza Strikes Add to Rising Civilian Death Toll
The Friday attacks were not limited to the aid site. Mahmud Bassal confirmed that 14 more civilians died in strikes around Deir el-Balah. Another 13 were killed in Gaza City, including three people who were hit while charging their phones. In southern Gaza, two others were shot dead by Israeli gunfire in separate incidents.
The civilian death toll keeps rising, but international observers remain largely restricted. Due to Israeli control over media and ongoing military operations, agencies like AFP cannot independently verify the casualty numbers released by Palestinian civil defence.
Meanwhile, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, Al-Quds Brigades, said it launched an attack on an Israeli military base in Khan Yunis. They claimed that Israeli soldiers were killed or wounded. The Israeli military declined to respond to the claim.
Much of Khan Yunis, like other regions across Gaza, is under heavy Israeli evacuation orders. Families who once lived there now camp in ruined buildings and scattered tents, facing airstrikes by day and hunger by night.
Gaza Aid Killings: Israeli Forces Blamed for Death of 31 Aid Seekers
The Gaza aid killings have once again raised global concern as 31 civilians, people who simply wanted food—were reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces. This incident remains a tragic reminder of how aid has become a battleground. With the international community divided and humanitarian agencies sidelined, the line between combatants and starving civilians grows thinner by the day.
