Gaza: Israeli attack on aid point kills 27, injures 160+

Shafaq News/ Over 180 Palestinians were killed or injured when Israeli forces opened fire near an aid distribution point in western Rafah, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday

The ministry said that 27 Palestinians were killed and more than 160 others injured at the site, which was operated in coordination with an American company and had been serving civilians in urgent need of food and supplies. It was the deadliest incident yet involving the new aid delivery system, which began operating less than a week ago, raising the overall death toll since October 7, 2023, to 54,510, with 124,901 injuries.

The Israeli army, however, alleged that it fired near the Rafah aid site after spotting suspects approaching its forces, noting that it is investigating the incident.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) described the event as the highest number of “weapon-wounded” people in a single incident at its Rafah field hospital since it opened over a year ago. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate and independent investigation and said it was “unacceptable" that Palestinians must risk their lives to obtain food.

World Food Program (WFP) Director Cindy McCain called the attack a “tragedy,” while UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that “aid distribution has become a death trap.”

Elsewhere in Gaza, Arab media outlets revealed that two children were killed in an Israeli strike on a shelter for displaced families in Khan Younis, while another civilian was killed and several were injured in a separate attack on an apartment in the city’s al-Amal neighborhood. A strike on a tent sheltering displaced people in Deir al-Balah killed three more.

According to The Guardian, Israeli strikes on civilian shelters, including schools, appear to be part of “a targeting effort,” confirming that at least six school buildings have been hit in recent months,reportedly resulting in the deaths of more than 120 people.

Separately, the Health Ministry cautioned that continued evacuation orders threaten to shut down Nasser Medical Complex, the only facility in southern Gaza offering specialized care. “Dozens of patients in ICUs, emergency rooms, operating theaters, and neonatal units face certain death if the hospital goes out of service,” the ministry stated.

The number of casualties was updated.