More than 300 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured in the past 48 hours in what the Gaza Government Media Office described as “26 bloody massacres” carried out by Israeli forces, including direct attacks on shelters, schools, and aid distribution sites.
In the last 24 hours alone, at least 118 Palestinians were killed and 581 wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Among the dead were 33 people at aid sites affiliated with the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), reportedly backed by Israel and the United States.
Aid Seekers Targeted, Shelters Bombed
- 13 killed in a tent in al-Mawasi, southern Gaza
- 16 killed at Mustafa Hafez School in western Gaza City, where displaced families had taken shelter
- Victims were described as burning alive under bombardment, with no emergency help available due to ongoing strikes
Ahmed Mansour, a displaced resident, told Al Jazeera, “Missiles were so destructive that they set everything on fire. Victims were left burning for hours without help. There is no one here to save us.”
Aid Centers Under Fire, US Contractors Accused
In Deir el-Balah, multiple people were reportedly gunned down near GHF-run food distribution sites. Survivors described sudden, unprovoked gunfire as desperate crowds waited for basic food supplies. Eyewitnesses told Al Jazeera that emergency services were unable to reach the wounded due to intense Israeli shooting.
Adding to the outrage, a report by Associated Press (AP) cited US security contractors at GHF sites allegedly using live fire and stun grenades against starving civilians. Two anonymous contractors claimed the personnel were unqualified and heavily armed, operating with no accountability.
While GHF denied the allegations, asserting that Israeli forces were responsible for any gunfire and no civilians were shot at their sites, it has not provided concrete evidence. Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that Israeli troops admitted they had orders to fire at unarmed civilians seeking aid.
International Condemnation Mounts
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has demanded an independent investigation into the attacks on aid seekers. It criticized GHF’s limited reach, operating only four “mega-sites” in the south and central Gaza — none in the north, where humanitarian needs are most acute.
UNRWA stated bluntly on X:
“The UN must be allowed to do the work of aid distribution in Gaza.”
Dr. Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian doctor with three decades of experience in Gaza, condemned GHF’s operations as a “sham” and a tool of psychological and physical warfare.
“The distribution organisation is aimed at using food as bait to attract starving people, to terrorise them and to kill them. The shooting of people in food lines is a war crime,” he said.
Political Motives Behind Aid Restrictions?
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was quoted earlier this week saying that too much aid is entering Gaza, and none should be allowed to ensure Israel’s military objectives are met.
Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh commented that GHF’s role may be designed not to support relief, but to replace long-standing international aid mechanisms, intensifying pressure on Gaza’s population.
As civilian death tolls rise, infrastructure collapses, and food becomes a weapon of war, calls for international accountability and humanitarian intervention are growing louder. But on the ground in Gaza, the suffering continues unabated.
