Israeli Fire Kills 20 Gazans Waiting for Aid, Say Rescuers

by Prasanna June 17, 2025 0 Comment

In the most recent fatality, Israeli troops murdered 20 civilians who were queuing to pick up food outside a US-backed assistance centre in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave, according to Gaza’s civil defence service.

According to Gaza’s civil defence service, Israeli troops killed 20 individuals on Monday when they were queuing to pick up food. This was the most recent fatality at a US-backed aid centre in the southern part of the Palestinian enclave.

Many were waiting to reach an aid distribution station in the southern city of Rafah when “the (Israeli) occupation forces opened fire” close to the Al-Alam junction, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said AFP.

“20 martyrs and more than 200 wounded by occupation gunfire” were sent to local hospitals, according to Bassal.

People “are hungry, they haven’t got any food since nearly four months ago,” Ahmed al-Farra, chief of the paediatric department at Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Yunis, told AFP.

Amid a stalemate in ceasefire talks, Israel placed a complete assistance blockade on the Gaza Strip in early March, only loosening restrictions in late May.

“All the borders are closed and this is the only way to get aid,” Farra said of Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) locations supported by the US and Israel.

“And when they get there they are killed by snipers, as you can see.” The Israeli military told AFP it was investigating the reports.

Without providing further details, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that 200 individuals had arrived at its field hospital in the Al-Mawasi neighbourhood close to Rafah.

“The highest number received by the Red Cross Field Hospital in one mass casualty incident” was the statement posted on X.

Along with treating 170 patients, Red Cross workers stated in a statement that “many of whom were wounded by gunshots, and who reported that they were trying to access a food distribution site” at the hospital on Sunday.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza, which the UN referred to as “the hungriest place on Earth” in May, has put Israel under increasing international pressure.

Although the GHF started providing relief in late May, its operations have been tainted by dozens of fatalities and violent situations.

Citing neutrality concerns that they claim go against humanitarian standards, the UN and significant assistance organisations have declined to work with the organisation. ‘Intense hostility’

The Israeli military has claimed that its troops fired warning shots and were responding to individuals approaching them in a manner they deemed threatening in the wake of earlier events at GHF sites.

AFP is unable to independently confirm the tolls and information provided by the civil defence agency due to Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and other challenges in accessing some regions.

“As intense hostilities continue, civilians continue to be killed and injured,” the ICRC stated in its statement. The continuous limitations on humanitarian aid are also making it difficult for individuals to obtain necessities like fuel.

Since the beginning of the conflict, which is currently in its 21st month, at least 55,432 Palestinians have died in Gaza, which is governed by Hamas, according to the health ministry. Since Israel started its offensive on March 18 after a truce, 5,139 of those had been murdered.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing 1,219 persons, according to official Israeli numbers, sparking the conflict.