Israeli Tank Fire Kills at Least 59 Palestinians Seeking Aid in Gaza

Gaza Strip: At least 59 Palestinians were killed and more than 220 injured on Tuesday when Israeli tank shells struck a crowd gathered around aid trucks in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, according to Palestinian medics. It marks one of the deadliest incidents in recent weeks as thousands of desperate civilians continue to risk their lives to obtain food amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.

Footage shared on social media and verified by multiple sources showed dozens of lifeless and mangled bodies scattered along a main road in Khan Younis. Witnesses said Israeli tanks fired at least two shells into a large group of people who had assembled near an aid distribution point.

“All of a sudden, they let us move forward and made everyone gather, and then shells started falling,” said Alaa, an eyewitness interviewed by Reuters at Nasser Hospital. “The people are dying, they are being torn apart, just to get food for their children.”

Due to the lack of medical infrastructure and space, the wounded were being treated on hospital floors and in corridors, rushed in by civilian cars, rickshaws, and donkey carts. At least 20 of the injured are reportedly in critical condition.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the incident, stating that troops had identified a gathering near a stalled aid truck in proximity to Israeli military operations. “The IDF is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals from IDF fire following the crowd’s approach. The details of the incident are under review,” a military spokesperson said. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise harm while maintaining the safety of our troops.”

Read more: WHO chief says 2 million ‘starving’ in Gaza

In addition to the Khan Younis strike, medics reported that 14 more Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes elsewhere in Gaza on Tuesday, bringing the day’s total death toll to at least 73.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed and over 3,000 wounded while attempting to access food aid since late May, when Israel partially lifted a months-long blockade.

The incident has intensified criticism of the current aid delivery mechanism, much of which is coordinated through the newly formed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group that distributes food at sites guarded by Israeli forces. Gaza authorities and the United Nations have condemned the system as inadequate and unsafe, warning that it violates humanitarian neutrality. GHF maintains that its operations are secure and stated that Tuesday’s incident occurred near a UN World Food Programme site, not one of its own.

The conflict in Gaza erupted in October 2023 after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. In response, Israel launched a sustained military offensive that has, according to Gaza’s health ministry, killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, displaced most of the 2.3 million population, and triggered a full-blown hunger crisis.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate as regional tensions rise, with Gaza residents closely watching the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, a key supporter of Hamas.