'Mass murder': Another Israeli massacre near US-backed distribution site in Khan Younis

They had come for food. Some were barefoot, others leaning on makeshift crutches, and they stood in long lines snaking through the ruins east of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.

Their destination: a US-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in southern Khan Younis. Their goal: a few kilos of flour, rice, or lentils to feed families displaced by months of Israel's relentless war.

But before they could reach the site, the skies exploded.

In broad daylight, Israeli artillery rained shells on the waiting crowd near the Tahlia Roundabout. Within seconds, the ground was covered in blood, bodies flung across the road, and dust rising over piles of scattered aid bags. What was supposed to be a site of relief turned into one of Gaza's most horrific massacres since 7 October 2023.

"We didn't hear any planes, no drones, no jets. Just explosions ripping through us. It was quiet, then hell broke loose," Mahmoud al-Kahlout, a survivor in Khan Younis, described to The New Arab.

"Four men walking beside me—people I see in the line every day—were laughing just moments before. They were killed instantly. Their only crime was carrying empty bags and hoping to bring something home," the 30-year-old father of two who narrowly escaped said.

According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, the attack killed at least 63 civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. At least 397 others were wounded, many in critical condition.

The ministry added that the death toll is likely to rise as emergency responders struggle to cope with the influx of patients amid a collapsed healthcare system.

Bombing the hungry

The aid centre had been promoted to residents as a coordinated operation between US relief teams and the Israeli military, part of an effort to streamline food distribution in southern Gaza. Residents were told it was a safe zone.

That promise, like so many before, proved fatal.

"This wasn't a battlefield. It was a food line," Umm Iyad, a 68-year-old woman who had been at the site, said to TNA. "People were standing with plastic bags, not rifles. Children were sitting in the shade, waiting for their turn."

"After the first explosion, people ran, screamed, and scattered. But there was nowhere to go. Everything was closed, and the shells continued to come. Death was everywhere," she described.

After a pause, she continued, her voice noticeably trembling, "I saw a young man carrying his little brother who had lost both feet. The child wasn't even crying. He was just staring as if the world had stopped making sense."

Scenes of devastation filled the area: bodies torn apart, parents clutching their children, loaves of bread scattered and trampled into the dust. Many survivors were so severely injured that they could not speak.

One of the victims was the brother of Mohammed Shurrab, who had left his home in Bani Suhaila before dawn in search of food for his family.

"He answered the call, believing it was a safe place. Instead, we found him burned and lifeless," Shurrab said to TNA, his voice filled with grief.

"They [the Israeli soldiers] weren't just bombing people; they were sending a message: You're not even allowed to be hungry," he said.

Doctors at Nasser Medical Complex said the injuries reflect the use of high-explosive shells. Victims arrived in pieces, some missing limbs, others with deep shrapnel wounds to the head, chest, and abdomen.

"We're not dealing with a normal emergency. This is mass murder," Sohaib al-Hams, the director of the field hospitals at the health ministry, told TNA.

"We don't have enough supplies to treat even half of them. There are no beds, no oxygen, no anaesthetics. And people keep arriving," he said.

He described the hospital as a "war zone within a war zone," warning that dozens of the injured may not survive the next 48 hours due to the lack of intensive care units (ICU) equipment.

A 'deliberate mass execution'

Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network, described the attack as a "deliberate and calculated act of mass execution."

He dismissed claims that it may have been an error, insisting the strike targeted a known civilian gathering point.

"This was not a mistake. It was a direct hit on a designated humanitarian site; its location and purpose are known to all, including the Israelis and the Americans," al-Shawa told TNA.

"The centre operated under international coordination. Its coordinates weren't hidden. This was intentional," al-Shawa said, and labelled the attack as "a war crime".

He condemned the international community's silence. "While the world is fixated on headlines about Iran and Israel, Gaza is being systematically wiped off the map. The silence is deafening and deadly," he stressed.

Al-Shawa said the message behind the bombing was clear: not only is no one safe, but survival itself is being criminalised.

"Israel is using aid as bait and turning humanitarian lines into death traps," he added, calling for an urgent shift in the international response.

"What we need is not more military coordination but complete and unconditional access to humanitarian aid. The occupation control over Gaza's crossings must end," he continued.

"UN agencies and relief organisations must be empowered to deliver aid freely, without Israeli interference that has already cost lives. If this doesn't happen now, the killing won't stop. Hunger will tighten its grip. Gaza's people will be left to die, whether by bombs or by famine," he added. 

Gaza-based political analyst Mustafa Ibrahim told TNA that the strike reflects a broader Israeli strategy of "total societal collapse."

"This is not just military warfare. It's psychological warfare. It's the weaponisation of hunger," Ibrahim remarked.

"Israel is using aid as bait. They know people will gather. Then they bomb them. The message is brutal and effective: You have no place here—not even in a bread line," he added.

He explained that the targeting of a US-coordinated centre has larger geopolitical implications.

"If even American-backed efforts are not off-limits, what hope is there for neutral humanitarian work? This sets a terrifying precedent, not just for Gaza, but for all conflict zones," he added.