Six Palestinians Killed Amid Controversial Israeli Aid Distribution Model

Six Palestinians were reported killed by Israeli gunfire near a Gaza aid distribution center, drawing attention to the broader humanitarian crisis in the region. With ongoing conflict and allegations of a flawed aid system, international scrutiny of Israel's handling of the situation intensifies.

Six Palestinians have been killed and numerous others wounded due to Israeli gunfire in a recent incident close to a humanitarian aid center in southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-operated Civil Defence agency. The incident occurred on Saturday morning, as a crowd had gathered to collect food supplies. Eyewitness accounts suggest that Israeli forces opened fire when individuals attempted to approach the aid distribution site. In response, the Israeli military maintained that it had only fired warning shots directed at individuals they perceived as a threat.

Over the past week, many Palestinians have lost their lives and hundreds more have been injured while attempting to access this aid center. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which operates the center and receives backing from the US and Israel, has announced that it paused its operations to address safety concerns and manage overcrowding. Despite this, people continue to assemble daily at a nearby roundabout, adjacent to an Israeli military zone, which must be traversed to reach the aid site.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they had previously warned Gazans about the area being an active combat zone during nighttime. However, the GHF reported that it was unable to distribute supplies on Saturday due to alleged threats posed by Hamas—a claim that Hamas has flatly denied. This incident is expected to amplify international criticism of Israel's current aid distribution framework, which the United Nations claims endangers Palestinians and fails to adequately address the ongoing humanitarian crisis.

In addition to the gunfire incident, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal reported that at least 15 people had succumbed to Israeli air strikes on a residential building in Gaza City, with many casualties still trapped under the rubble. The Israeli military claimed that these strikes targeted the leader of a Palestinian militant group, the Mujahideen Brigades, which Israel alleges is responsible for the murder and kidnapping of victims from an earlier Hamas-led assault on October 7.

Israel has taken steps to ease its prolonged blockade of Gaza by allowing a limited quantity of aid imports and prioritizing distribution via the GHF. However, this approach has attracted considerable backlash. Local health officials and medical personnel have reported more than 60 Palestinian fatalities resulting from gunfire within the initial three days of the GHF's operations. Witnesses have placed the blame for these deaths squarely on Israeli soldiers. The Israeli military confirmed that it had fired warning shots during this period and is conducting inquiries into the incidents.

The GHF is one of several aid centers the organization has established in Gaza under a new distribution initiative, criticized heavily by humanitarian organizations as a strategy to bypass the UN, which Israel accuses of ineffectively preventing the diversion of supplies by Hamas. The UN has countered these claims, asserting its accountability for the aid provided and deeming the GHF’s operational model impractical and unethical.

This escalation follows nearly 20 months of Israeli military actions in Gaza, initiated in response to a Hamas-led cross-border incursion that resulted in over 1,200 fatalities and the abduction of 251 individuals. Since then, the territory's health ministry reports that a staggering 54,677 fatalities have occurred in Gaza during the ongoing conflict.