Gaza: Israel guns down over 80 Palestinians waiting for flour at aid site

Israeli forces have killed at least 89 Palestinians in just two days across the Gaza Strip, most of them were shot or shelled as they queued for food at aid distribution centres.

On Wednesday alone, 32 more were killed in strikes and shootings in several areas of Gaza, including Rafah, Khan Younis, Gaza City and the central Maghazi refugee camp.

More than 70 Palestinians were killed when Israeli tanks, drones and heavy machine guns targeted a crowd gathered along a main road in Khan Younis, where people had been waiting for flour from the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) on Tuesday.

Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that more than 200 were wounded in the attack.

"Israeli drones fired at the citizens. Some minutes later, Israeli tanks fired several shells at the citizens, which led to a large number of martyrs and wounded," he said.

Aid under fire

Tuesday marked the deadliest day since GHF began operations on 26 May. Since then, over 300 Palestinians have been killed and at least 2,800 wounded while attempting to access basic food supplies.

The United Nations says civilians are being shot at while queuing for aid and has called for accountability.

"It is unacceptable," said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq.

In the south of Gaza City, 11 civilians waiting for aid near the Israeli-occupied Netzarim corridor were killed by Israeli gunfire. The same area has become a choke point where only a limited number of aid trucks are allowed through. Crowds often come under fire or face attacks from looters in what local authorities describe as a deliberate effort to spread chaos.

Elsewhere, Israeli airstrikes killed 10 people in a house in al-Maghazi refugee camp, three, including a child, in a strike on a home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood, and eight displaced people in tents in al-Mawasi, near Khan Younis.

Survivors described harrowing scenes of children gunned down, bodies strewn across the road, and Israeli gunfire continuing as people tried to flee. According to medical staff at Nasser Hospital, some victims were "unrecognisable" after being "shredded to pieces".

"Dozens of civilians, including children, were killed, and no one could help or save lives," survivor Saeed Abu Liba, 38, told Al Jazeera. "I survived by a miracle," said Mohammed Abu Qeshfa, another survivor.

Israel has not provided explanations for Tuesday's killings. Past military statements claimed that warning shots were fired at unidentified "suspects", but no evidence was provided.

Israel has allowed only a limited number of aid trucks in Gaza, most of which pass through the Netzarim corridor. The GHF began distributing a trickle of food aid in Gaza at the end of May after Israel partially lifted a nearly three-month total blockade on food, medicines and other essential items, leading to fears of famine for the population of 2.3 million.

Since 7 October 2023, Israel’s assault on Gaza has killed over 185,000 people, according to Gaza authorities, most of them women and children. More than 11,000 remain missing under the rubble.

Despite the mounting death toll, Israel continues to block the entry of independent humanitarian aid, allowing only GHF deliveries, an initiative widely criticised for operating under Israeli military oversight and bypassing established humanitarian organisations.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization warned that fuel shortages are crippling Gaza’s already battered health sector. Only 17 of the enclave’s 36 hospitals remain partially operational, with bed capacity less than half what it was before the war began. WHO officials say Israel has blocked fuel access for over 100 days.

"For over 100 days, no fuel has entered Gaza and attempts to retrieve stocks from evacuation zones have been denied," said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories.