Israeli forces killed at least 51 Palestinians and wounded over 200 others waiting for food aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Tuesday morning, according to Gaza’s health ministry and Nasser Hospital.
The crowd, gathered near a World Food Programme site and a community kitchen, was hoping to access flour from UN and commercial trucks.
Witnesses reported that Israeli troops carried out an airstrike on a nearby home, followed by heavy gunfire and tank shelling.
Yousef Nofal, a witness, described the scene as a “massacre,” stating that the Israeli soldiers continued firing on people as they fled the area.
The attack left scores of motionless, bleeding bodies scattered across the ground, with survivors like Mohammed Abu Qeshfa saying, “I survived by a miracle.”
The killings mark the deadliest incident in a series of near-daily shootings near aid distribution points operated by the Israel and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Palestinians report that Israeli forces have repeatedly targeted crowds attempting to access food, with local health officials noting scores killed and hundreds injured in recent weeks.
UN agencies and aid groups have condemned the GHF system, stating it allows Israel to control aid access, violating humanitarian principles.
The UN’s Volker Turk stated, “Israel’s means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza,” calling for investigations into these shootings.
Gaza’s 2 million residents face a deepening famine, exacerbated by Israel’s ongoing genocide, which has killed over 55,300 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
The campaign has crippled aid delivery through military restrictions, looting, and a breakdown of order.
At Nasser Hospital, overwhelmed staff treated the wounded on the floor, while families like Samaher Meqdad’s searched for loved ones, with her lamenting, “We don’t want flour. We don’t want food. We don’t want anything,” she said. “Why did they fire at the young people? Why? Aren’t we human beings?”
Israel’s actions continue to choke Gaza’s lifeline, leaving civilians to bear the brutal cost.