Israeli troops opened fire on Saturday (July 19, 2025) toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by a U.S.- and Israeli-backed group in southern Gaza, killing at least 32 people, according to witnesses and hospital officials.
The two incidents occurred near hubs operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). In other violence, 11 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, health officials said.
The GHF launched operations in late May with backing from the U.S. and Israel. The two governments are seeking to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, saying that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The UN denies the allegation.
While the GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say that hundreds of people have been killed by Israeli Army fire as they try to reach the distribution hubs.
The Army, which is not at the sites but secures them from a distance, says it only fires warning shots if crowds get too close to its forces.
The GHF, which employs private armed guards, says there have been no deadly shootings at its sites, though this week, 20 people were killed at one of its locations, most of them in a stampede. The group accused Hamas agitators of causing a panic, but gave no evidence to back the claim.
In a statement, the GHF said there were no incidents at or near its sites on Saturday (July 19, 2025), and that the reported Israeli shootings took place hours before they opened. “We have repeatedly warned aid seekers not to travel to our sites overnight and in the early morning hours,” it said.
The Israeli military said it had fired “warning shots” near Rafah after a group of suspects approached troops and ignored calls to keep their distance. It said it was investigating reports of casualties, but noted the incident occurred overnight when the distribution site was closed.
In the occupied West Bank, meanwhile, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited a Christian Palestinian village that was recently attacked by Israeli settlers and harshly criticized the violence.
Most of Saturday’s (July 19, 2025) deaths occurred as Palestinians massed in the Teina area, around 3 km away from a GHF aid distribution centre east of the city of Khan Younis.
Mahmoud Mokeimar, an eyewitness, said he was walking with masses of people — mostly young men — toward the food hub. Troops fired warning shots as the crowds advanced, before opening fire toward the marching people.
“It was a massacre … the occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” he said. He said he managed to flee but saw at least three motionless bodies lying on the ground, and many other wounded fleeing.
Akram Aker, another witness, said troops fired machine guns mounted on tanks and drones. He said the shooting happened between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m.
“They encircled us and started firing directly at us,” he said. He said he saw many casualties lying on the ground.
The Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 25 bodies, along with dozens wounded.
Seven other people, including one woman, were killed in the Shakoush area, hundreds of metres (yards) north of another GHF hub in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah, the hospital said. The toll was also confirmed by the Health Ministry.
Dr. Mohamed Saker, the head of Nasser’s nursing department, said it received 70 wounded people. He said most of the casualties were shot in their heads and chests.
“The situation is difficult and tragic,” he said, adding that the facility lacks badly needed medical supplies to treat the daily flow of casualties.
Meanwhile, Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s ambulance and emergency service in northern Gaza, said two persons were killed in Gaza City when an airstrike hit a tent in a camp sheltering displaced families. There were no further details on the target of the strike.
In central Gaza, the Awda-Nusseirat Hospital said nine people were killed in another airstrike. The hospital and Hamas-run Interior Ministry said Omar Aqel, a local police official, was killed. Two children, including an infant, and five women — all relatives of Aqel — were also among the dead.
The Israeli Army had no comment on specific strikes but said it had struck some 90 targets throughout Gaza over the past day and that it had killed militants and targeted “terror infrastructure” in northern Gaza and Gaza City.
Published – July 19, 2025 01:48 pm IST
