ISRAELI TROOPS FIRE SHOTS TOWARD CROWDS SEEKING FOOD FROM DISTRIBUTION HUBS

At least 32 Palestinians killed

FE Team | Published: July 20, 2025 00:17:39

GAZA, July 19 (AP): Israeli troops opened fire Saturday toward crowds of Palestinians seeking food from distribution hubs run by a U.S.-, 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.
The organization launched operations in late May with backing from the U.S. and Israel. The two governments are seeking to replace the traditional U.N.-led aid distribution system in Gaza, saying that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The U.N. 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.
The army and GHF did not immediately comment on Saturday's violence. Most of Saturday's deaths occurred as Palestinians massed in the Teina area, around three kilometers (2 miles) away from a GHF aid distribution center 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. Sanaa al-Jaberi, a 55-year-old woman, said she saw many dead and wounded as she fled the area.
"We shouted: 'food, food,' but they didn't talk to us. They just opened fire," she said. Monzer Fesifes, a Palestinian-Jordanian, said his 19-year-old son Hisham was among those killed in the Teina area.
"He went to bring food from the failed US, Zionist aid to feed us," the father of six said, pleading for the Jordanian government to help evacuate them from the Palestinian enclave.