Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians attempting to collect humanitarian aid in Gaza, killing at least 93 people and injuring many more, according to the region’s civil defence agency.
The incident is the latest in a string of deadly episodes involving civilians desperate for basic supplies.
According to agency spokesperson Mahmud Basal, 80 of the deaths occurred in northern Gaza as truckloads of aid arrived. Nine more people were killed near an aid distribution point close to Rafah in the south, where dozens had already died just a day earlier. Four additional fatalities were reported near another aid site in Khan Yunis.
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) confirmed that a 25-truck convoy delivering food encountered “massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire” after entering Gaza from Israel and passing security checkpoints.
Israel’s military disputed the reported death toll, stating that its troops fired warning shots to “remove an immediate threat posed to them” as thousands crowded near Gaza City.
Aid-related deaths have become tragically common in Gaza, with officials repeatedly accusing Israeli forces of firing on civilians gathering at aid distribution sites.
The UN has said nearly 800 people seeking aid have been killed since late May, including along routes used by humanitarian convoys.
The WFP condemned the violence, calling it “completely unacceptable.”
Independent verification of these reports remains difficult due to severe media restrictions and lack of access in much of Gaza.
In response to similar past incidents, Israel’s military recently issued updated operational guidelines “following lessons learned.”
Meanwhile, tensions between Israel and international humanitarian organisations intensified further as Israel revoked the residency permit of Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused him of “spreading lies about the war in Gaza” on social media.
Religious leaders have also spoken out.
Pope Leo XIV condemned the ongoing violence and civilian targeting during his Sunday address, describing the situation as “barbarity.” His comments came days after a strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church killed three people. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, held mass at the church after visiting Gaza in a rare trip.
On Sunday, Israeli forces issued a new evacuation order for the Deir el-Balah area, triggering a new wave of displacement. Families were seen fleeing with limited belongings, many on donkey carts. “They threw leaflets at us and we don't know where we are going and we don't have shelter or anything,” one man told AFP.
The UN OCHA warned that 87.8% of Gaza is now either under displacement orders or designated as militarised zones, leaving more than 2 million people squeezed into just 12% of the territory.
The renewed military operations have also sparked anxiety among families of the 49 hostages still held in Gaza since October 2023. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages have been ongoing, but no breakthrough has yet been reached.