Israel Kills Over 80 in Gaza, Including Dozens Seeking Aid

Israeli forces have killed at least 86 Palestinians in Gaza since the early hours of Tuesday, June 24, including 56 individuals near aid distribution centers, as attacks on civilians continue amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Medical sources report that most of those killed were unarmed civilians seeking food and essential supplies in the blockaded territory.

In Rafah, southern Gaza, Israeli troops shot and killed 27 people as they approached an aid distribution point. This incident is among several recent attacks near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites, which have faced widespread criticism for unsafe aid delivery conditions.

Since GHF began operations in late May, over 400 Palestinians have been killed and more than 1,000 injured near its distribution areas, according to health officials.

The foundation, supported by Israel and the United States, has been accused of prioritizing military agendas over humanitarian needs. The United Nations has refused to work with GHF, calling its approach a “death trap.”

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the total Palestinian death toll since the war began on October 7, 2023, has now surpassed 56,000, with over 131,000 injured.

On Tuesday, medical sources reported that at least 25 people were killed on Salah al-Din Street, south of Wadi Gaza in central Gaza, with 140 others injured—62 of them critically. Verified footage from Al Jazeera’s Sanad agency showed bodies being brought to al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp.

Similar scenes unfolded at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis and al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, where emergency departments were stretched beyond capacity.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli tanks and drones opened fire without warning. “It was a massacre,” said Ahmed Halawa. “They even fired as we were fleeing.”

The Israeli military stated that it is reviewing reports of civilian casualties, claiming the strikes took place near the militarized Netzarim Corridor, where individuals allegedly approached soldiers.

Israel has previously defended attacks near aid sites by labeling civilians as “suspects.” However, humanitarian organizations and eyewitnesses consistently report that the victims were unarmed civilians in search of food.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric expressed deep concern over the mounting casualties at aid distribution sites, saying:

“People are being killed just for trying to get food because of a militarized humanitarian distribution system that meets none of the prerequisites for a functioning, fair, independent, and impartial humanitarian system.”

He urged global leaders to find the political will to “put a stop to this carnage.”

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), issued a strong condemnation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), calling its operations “an abomination” and “a death trap costing more lives than it saves.”

The International Commission of Jurists, along with 14 other human rights organizations, also denounced GHF and called for an end to militarized private aid delivery in Gaza.

Philip Grant, executive director of TRIAL International, criticized GHF’s approach, stating that it “violates core humanitarian principles” and warned that those supporting or profiting from it could face “prosecution for complicity in war crimes, including forcible transfer and starvation of civilians.”

Despite growing international condemnation, the United States has pledged \$30 million in support of GHF—its first known financial contribution to the organization. Reports indicate that GHF contracts private U.S. military and logistics firms to deliver aid within Gaza.