22 Killed as Israeli Troops Fire Near Gaza Aid Centres

Photo: Collected

At least 22 Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured on Monday after Israeli forces opened fire near food aid distribution points in southern and northern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospitals, and the territory’s Health Ministry.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis reported receiving the bodies of 11 people who were shot while returning from an aid centre run under the Israeli and U.S.-supported Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF). The programme, established to address severe food shortages, has seen more than 500 Palestinians killed in incidents around aid distributions in the past month, according to health officials.

An additional 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a U.N. aid warehouse in Gaza City, the Health Ministry reported.

The southern Gaza incident occurred roughly three kilometres from the GHF aid site in Khan Younis. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire on civilians travelling along one of the few accessible roads leading to the centre.

“They shot at us without warning,” said Yousef Mahmoud Mokheimar, who was wounded in the leg. He said troops initially fired in the air but then began targeting the crowd. Mokheimar also claimed six people—including three children—were detained by Israeli forces, though their whereabouts remain unknown.

Another survivor, Monzer Hisham Ismail, said those returning from the aid distribution centre were targeted with artillery. One more person was reported killed near a GHF site in Rafah, hospital officials confirmed.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incidents. It maintains that troops fire warning shots when individuals approach suspiciously, particularly near aid areas.

Israel, with U.S. backing, has promoted the GHF system as a replacement for U.N. and international aid delivery, accusing Hamas of diverting aid—an allegation denied by the U.N.

Military officials said new measures had been introduced, including additional routes, fences, and signage to organise the flow of people during aid distributions.

In northern Gaza, at least 10 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on a U.N. aid warehouse in Gaza City. It remains unclear whether aid supplies were present at the site at the time.

The strike coincided with intensified bombardment of Gaza City and the Jabaliya refugee camp. Israeli authorities issued mass evacuation orders on Sunday and Monday, warning of operations targeting Hamas command centres.

Palestinians described the offensive as a “scorched earth” campaign, saying that vast areas of Gaza City and Jabaliya had been levelled, cutting off access to emergency services.

“They’re destroying everything left,” said Gaza City resident Mohamed Mahdy, who fled his damaged home early Monday.

Emergency officials said ambulances were unable to reach people trapped under rubble due to continued airstrikes and damaged roads.

The Israeli military said its operations are focused on Hamas militants and infrastructure, and that civilian casualties are the result of the group’s use of densely populated areas for military purposes.