Rafah aid distribution incidents

Rafah aid distribution killings
Part of the Gaza war, Rafah offensive, Gaza humanitarian crisis and Salafi jihadist insurgency in the Gaza Strip
Tel al-Sultan is located in the Gaza Strip
Tel al-Sultan
Tel al-Sultan
Location within the Gaza Strip
LocationTel al-Sultan, Rafah, Gaza Strip
Date27 May 2025 – present
Attack type
Mass shootings
Deaths245
Injured2,152
VictimsPalestinians seeking aid
Perpetrator Israel Defense Forces
Popular Forces (alleged)

Since 27 May 2025, hundreds of Palestinians have been killed and wounded by mostly Israeli gunfire as they approached a newly established aid distribution site in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, operated by the United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The incidents began taking place on the first day of the GHF's operations, following an 11-week Israeli blockade since early March 2025 that had severely restricted humanitarian aid to Gaza, exacerbating the Gaza humanitarian crisis.[1][2][3] According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over 200 Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach aid distribution areas.[4]

Background

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was registered in both Delaware, United States, and Geneva, Switzerland, in February 2025,[5] and is described by the BBC as aiming to provide an "alternative to the UN as the main supplier of aid" to Gaza.[6] The foundation is backed by both the Trump administration and the Israeli government.[7]

Due to Israeli checkpoints into Gaza which predate the October 7 attacks, the Israeli government and IDF have controlled the entrance of humanitarian aid into Gaza, with aid delivery disrupted multiple times over the years, either via Israeli government blockades or Israeli civilian actions.[8] Since March 2, 2025, very little humanitarian aid has been allowed into Gaza, with concerns about famine in Gaza being raised by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).[9][10] Additional allegations by both Israel and the United States that Hamas was stealing aid, which the group denied, have also hindered humanitarian aid disbursement. The GHF began operations on 26 May 2025 at a new distribution center in Rafah.[11]

The GHF sites are secured by American contractors, particularly Safe Reach Solutions (SRS), with Israeli troops patrolling the perimeter. The sites have chain-link fences directing Palestinians into military base-resembling structures surrounded by large sand berms.[12] Palestinians are expected to go through identity checks and screening for involvement with Hamas prior to accessing food. The UN condemned the GHF plan and insisted that it will not operate with any scheme that fails to uphold humanitarian principles,[2] with a spokesperson saying that "the operation was a "distraction from what is actually needed" and [urging] Israel to reopen all crossings."[6]

Incidents

May 27–28

On 27 May 2025, the GHF began distributing aid at a distribution center in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah under IDF oversight. Thousands of Palestinians gathered to access food packages. The size of the crowd, which included women and children, led to chaos as people clambered over fences and pushed through packed corridors to reach the supplies. According to the GHF, the chaos resulted in the temporary withdrawal of American forces from the compound, allowing some Gazans to "take aid safely and dissipate."[13][14][15]

The Gaza Government Media Office reported that Israeli tanks opened fire on the crowd, resulting in at least three deaths and 48 injuries, calling it a "deliberate massacre" and a "full-fledged war crime." The count was later updated to 10 killed and 62 wounded.[13] The IDF denied firing at Palestinians, saying that it had fired "warning shots" in an outside area[1] to establish control over the situation.[2] A UN spokesperson disputed the Israeli narrative, stating that "most of those injured are due to gunshots" from the IDF.[13]

Videos circulating show people running away from the distribution center in panic as gunfire is heard in the distance. They also show a military helicopter firing flares from the sky.[13]

On 28 May, the Gaza Government Media Office stated that the IDF had killed ten civilians and wounded 62 others over the past 48 hours at the aid distribution site.[13] On 31 May, three Palestinians were killed in Rafah while trying to reach the aid distribution centre according to Palestinian medical sources.[16] The Gaza Health Ministry meanwhile stated that the death toll at the Rafah aid distribution centre had risen to 17 killed, 86 wounded and 5 missing.[17]

June

On 1 June 2025, the IDF killed 32 civilians and wounded over 250 at the aid centre in Rafah.[18][19] The Palestine Red Crescent Society stated that its paramedics had rescued at least 23 dead Palestinians and another 23 wounded from the area. According to Nasser Hospital's emergency department, 150 injured people and 28 bodies were brought to the hospital.[20][21] The GHF claimed in response that the reports were "untrue" and "fabricated" by Hamas,[22] publishing undated security camera footage showing a calm atmosphere to support its claims.[23] The IDF also called the reports "false," denying that it had fired "within or near" the aid distribution center, and released a drone video which it claimed showed an unrelated looting at Khan Yunis, where Palestinian militants threw rocks and fired at civilians heading to collect aid.[24][25] Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry, hospital officials, and several witnesses said Israel was responsible for the gunfire at Rafah.[26] Médecins Sans Frontières said that its patients at Nasser Hospital "reported being shot at from all sides by Israeli drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and soldiers."[27] A CNN review based on witness testimonies, video evidence, and expert analysis, found that the shots were likely fired by the Israeli army at a location where GHF operated.[28] Pro-Palestinian social media accounts referred to the 1 June incident as the "Witkoff massacre", referring to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff who had endorsed Israel's plan to take over aid delivery in Gaza.[29]

Footage of the aftermath of a strike was initially claimed to have occurred near the aid centre, but was later determined by BBC Verify as a previously unreported Israel Defense Forces strike, 4.5km from the aid centre, at al-Mawasi on 1 June 2025, which the Israel Defense Forces told the BBC that they had "wrongfully hit the Mawasi area" with artillery that "deviated" after "technical and operational errors".[30]

On 2 June, the Gaza Government Media Office stated that three people were killed and 35 others wounded by the IDF near the aid center, with the IDF claiming that its troops had shot at suspects who were approaching towards them.[31] It also stated that 75 people had been killed and more than 400 others had been wounded since 27 May by the IDF.[22]

On 3 June, at least 27 civilians were killed and 161 more were injured after the Israeli military said that its forces had opened fire on a group of individuals who had left designated access routes near the distribution centre in Rafah.[32][33][34] The International Committee of the Red Cross meanwhile reported 184 injuries.[34] Hamas meanwhile stated that so far at least 102 people had been killed and more than 490 wounded while seeking aid.[35] On the next day, the IDF declared all roads leading to aid centers to be "combat zones," thereby closing the distribution centers for the day.[36]

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation later stated that it would close its aid distribution sites on 4 June, with the IDF declaring routes leading to them as combat zones.[36] The sites reopened on 5 June.[7]

On 6 June, eight Palestinians were killed and 61 others wounded near the aid distribution centre in Rafah.[37] The death toll near the aid distribution sites meanwhile rose to 110 killed and 583 wounded.[38]

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation again shut the aid centres on 7 June, accusing Hamas of threatening it, and stated that it would open on the following day. Hamas denied the allegation.[39] That same day, six more Palestinians were killed and several others were injured by Israeli forces near the aid distribution centre.[40][41]

On 8 June, Palestinian health officials said at least thireen people were killed and 173 others were injured by Israeli forces the aid distribution centre in Rafah.[42] The Israeli military said they fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away but did not see any casualties. Eleven bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis while another body and 29 injured people were brought to Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia. Palestinian witnesses there said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout that is around a kilometre (half-mile) from a site run in the nearby city of Rafah.[43] The total civilian toll at the aid centres rose to 125 killed, 736 wounded and 9 missing per Hamas.[42]

Survivors of the repeated mass killings perpetrated at the distribution sites have begun to refer to the Israeli-backed operation as traps or death traps rather than aid.[19][44]

On 9 June, fourteen civilians were killed and more than 99 wounded near the aid distribution site, with Palestinians accusing the IDF and allied local gunmen from the Popular Forces of firing at them.[45] The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation meanwhile stated that it had closed one of its centres in Tel al-Sultan due to chaotic conditions caused by the crowds.[46]

On 10 June, another 36 civilians were killed and 207 were wounded near an aid distribution site according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The victims were seeking aid before "warning shots to distance suspects" were fired by the IDF towards individuals that they claim "posed a threat to troops." By this time, at least 163 people were killed and 1,495 were wounded while trying to receive aid from the GHF.[47][48][49]

On 11 June, an additional 25 people were killed at night near a GHF food distribution center. Once again, the Israeli government claims to have been firing warning shots at "suspects", while the Palestinian Civil Defence claims that the IDF opened fire. Another fourteen were killed by the IDF near a GHF center, according to the Nasser Hospital. At this point, the total deaths near GHF centers has increased to 223, with the total injuries rising to 1,858.[4] There were a total of 60 killed by the IDF on 11 June.[50] The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation meanwhile accused Hamas of killing eight of its aid workers, injuring 21 others, and possibly taking some hostage in an attack on a bus carrying over two dozen of its Palestinian staff west of Khan Yunis.[51] The Hamas-run police force of the Gaza Strip claimed that its Sahm unit killed 12 Popular Forces militants backed by Israel, publishing a video purportedly showing their bodies. The Popular Forces meanwhile claimed to have killed five Hamas militants.[52]

On 12 June, twenty-six more people were killed by Israeli drone attacks while waiting near the aid distribution centres.[53] The total dead near GHF aid centers has risen to 245 and the wounded to 2,152 by this time.[50][54]

Reactions

  •  European Union: On the day after the 27 May incident, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas criticized the aid mechanism run by the GHF, saying it does not support "any kind of privatization of the distribution of humanitarian aid".[55]
  •  Israel: IDF spokesman Effie Defrin accused Hamas of "spreading rumors" and "trying bluntly and violently to stop the people of Gaza" from reaching aid.[27]
  •  United States: US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee accused news outlets of "reckless and irresponsible reporting", saying that "the only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas."[27]

Organizations

  • Doctors Without Borders reported that they received people wounded in the attacks and called it a "massacre" and stated that "along with displacement orders and bombing campaigns that kill civilians, weaponising aid in this manner may constitute crimes against humanity".[56]
  • United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid" and called for an independent investigation into the killings of Palestinians.[27]
    • UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini condemned the incident as "undignified" and "unsafe", as well as "a distraction from atrocities". UN aid coordination office spokesperson Jens Laerke also criticized the GHF plan as "a distraction from what is actually needed, which is a reopening of all the crossings into Gaza, a secure environment within Gaza and faster facilitation of permissions and final approvals of all the emergency supplies that we have just outside the border."[57]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Cheeseman, Abbie; Rubin, Shira; DeYoung, Karen; Wiener, Aaron; Bisset, Victoria (2025-05-28). "Dozens injured by gunshots amid chaos at Gaza aid hub, U.N. says". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  2. ^ a b c "'Deliberate massacre' in Gaza as starving Palestinians seek Israeli-US aid". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  3. ^ "Gaza: Crowds storm US-backed group's new aid distribution centre". BBC News. 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  4. ^ a b Gritten, David; Usher, Sebastian (12 June 2025). "Dozens of Palestinians killed while seeking aid in Gaza, hospitals say". BBC News. Retrieved 12 June 2025.
  5. ^ Ott, Haley (2025-05-29). "Controversial U.S.-backed Gaza aid group breaching rules for foundations registered in Switzerland, Swiss authorities say". CBS News. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  6. ^ a b "Controversial US-backed group says it has begun aid distribution in Gaza". BBC News. 2025-05-27. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  7. ^ a b Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Cornwell, Alexander; Al-Mughrabi, Nidal; Cornwell, Alexander (2025-06-05). "US group distributing aid in Gaza reopens sites after deadly shootings". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  8. ^ ברוך, חזקי. "מאות ניסו למנוע סיוע לעזה וחסמו את נמל אשדוד". ערוץ 7 (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2025-05-14.
  9. ^ "Gaza population faces critical risk of famine, global hunger monitor says". Reuters. May 12, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  10. ^ Shih, Gerry; Brown, Cate; Parker, Claire; DeYoung, Karen (23 May 2025). "Sweeping overhaul of Gaza aid raises questions of morality and workability". Washington Post.
  11. ^ Magid, Jacob (2025-05-26). "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says it began aid distribution today". Times of Israel.
  12. ^ "Crowd is fired on at chaotic Gaza aid-distribution site, killing at least 1 and wounding 48". AP News. 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  13. ^ a b c d e "'Heinous crime': Israel kills 10 desperate aid seekers in Gaza in 48 hours". Al Jazeera. 28 May 2025. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  14. ^ Livni, Ephrat; Kingsley, Patrick; Harouda, Ameera; Boxerman, Aaron (2025-05-27). "Chaos Erupts at Israeli-Backed Aid Distribution Site in Gaza". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  15. ^ Al-Mughrabi, Nidal (May 27, 2025). "Palestinians rush US-backed aid centre despite concerns over checks". Reuters. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
  16. ^ Nedim, Hosni (31 May 2025). "غزة تباد.. 22 قتيلا بينهم 3 برصاص إسرائيلي أثناء توجههم للمساعدات". Anadolu Agency (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  17. ^ Yusuf Alioglu; Rania Abu Shamala (31 May 2025). "Death toll from US-Israeli aid mechanism in Gaza rises to 17: Health Ministry". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  18. ^ "50,000 Palestinian children killed or wounded in Gaza since war began". The New Arab. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  19. ^ a b "At least four killed by Israeli fire near Gaza food point, officials say". The Guardian. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025. On 1 June, 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire as they went to receive food.
  20. ^ "At least 31 Palestinians are killed while heading to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say". Associated Press. 1 June 2025.
  21. ^ Boxerman, Aaron (2025-06-01). "Over 20 Killed Near Aid Distribution Site in Gaza, Palestinian Health Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
  22. ^ a b Aladam, Mera (2 June 2025). "Israeli forces kill three starving Palestinians queuing for food, raising death toll of aid seekers to 75". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  23. ^ Nidal Al-Mughrabi; Hatem Khaled (1 June 2025). "Gaza ministry says Israel kills more than 30 aid seekers, Israel denies". Reuters. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  24. ^ "IDF: Drone footage shows gunmen in Gaza firing at civilians collecting humanitarian aid". Ynet. 1 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  25. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (1 June 2025). "IDF says drone video shows gunmen firing at Gazans seeking looted aid in Khan Younis". The Times of Israel.
  26. ^ Salman, Abeer; al Sawalhi, Mohammad; Kourdi, Eyad; Lister, Tim (2025-06-01). "Dozens shot dead and injured near Gaza aid hub, health ministry and doctors say". CNN. Retrieved 2025-06-02.
  27. ^ a b c d Gritten, David (2 June 2025). "UN calls for investigation into killings near Gaza aid distribution site". BBC. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  28. ^ Abou-Ghazala, Yahya; Diamond, Diamond; Salman, Abeer; al Sawalhi, Mohammad; Araújo, Madalena (2025-06-04). "'Death and hunger': Videos, expert analysis and witnesses point to Israeli gunfire in Gaza aid site shooting". CNN. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  29. ^ "Calls to shut down GHF grow after deadly Gaza 'Witkoff Massacre'". The New Arab. 2 June 2025.
  30. ^ Thomas, Merlyn; Pengelly, Emma (6 June 2025). "Israeli army admits to Gaza strike after BBC Verify investigation". BBC News. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  31. ^ Fabian, Emanuel (2 June 2025). "Hamas: 3 killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid center; IDF: Troops fired on 'suspects who approached them in threatening way'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
  32. ^ Nidal al-Mughrabi; Crispian Balmer (3 June 2025). "At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, medics say". Reuters. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  33. ^ "Doctor describes 'total carnage' as 27 reported killed by Israeli fire at Gaza aid centre - live updates". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  34. ^ a b Berger, Miriam (3 June 2025). "Israel says it fired 'warning shots' near aid site; health officials say 27 dead". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 June 2025.
  35. ^ "Israel kills 27 Palestinians in latest mass killing of aid seekers". Middle East Eye. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 4 June 2025.
  36. ^ a b Seddon, Sean (2025-06-03). "IDF says roads to Gaza aid centres are 'combat zones' as sites close for day". BBC News. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  37. ^ Ikram Kouachi; Rania Abu Shamala (6 June 2025). "No let-up in Israel's Gaza attacks as 33 killed on Eid day". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  38. ^ "Ex-CIA officer running Gaza aid security advised Boston Consulting Group". Middle East Eye. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
  39. ^ Maayan Lubell; Jaidaa Taha; Nidal Al-Mughrabi (7 June 2025). "US group distributing aid in Gaza reopens sites after deadly shootings". Reuters. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  40. ^ Usher, Barbara (7 June 2025). "Six killed by Israeli gunfire near Gaza aid site, Hamas officials say". BBC News. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  41. ^ Alsharif, Mirna (7 June 2025). "Israeli forces in Gaza kill 6 Palestinians seeking aid, health officials say". NBC News. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  42. ^ a b Sio, Mohammed (8 June 2025). "Gaza's health care system is extremely fragile, Red Cross warns". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  43. ^ "Palestinians say 5 killed by Israeli fire near aid sites. Israel says it fired warning shots". CTV News. June 8, 2025. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  44. ^ "'These are traps set for the people': the story of a mother shot dead searching for food in Gaza". The Guardian. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  45. ^ Shurafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy (9 June 2025). "Palestinians say Israel and its allies fired on a crowd near Gaza aid site. Hospital says 14 killed". The Associated Press. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  46. ^ Fabian, Emanuel; Magid, Jacob (9 June 2025). "GHF says aid site closed due to crowd 'chaos,' as Hamas authorities claim 6 killed". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  47. ^ El-Bawab, Nadine; Ostaz, Diaa; Miller, Jordana (2025). "At least 36 Palestinians killed in shooting near Gaza aid site, health ministry says". ABC News.
  48. ^ Shurafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy. "36 Palestinians killed, 207 wounded trying to reach aid, health ministry reports". KCRA 3.
  49. ^ Surafa, Wafaa; Magdy, Samy (10 June 2025). "36 Palestinians killed trying to obtain desperately needed aid in Gaza, officials say". The Associated Press. Retrieved 11 June 2025.
  50. ^ a b "Israel cuts Gaza internet as dozens more aid seeker killed". Middle East Eye.
  51. ^ Odenheimer, Adam (12 June 2025). "Gaza Aid Group Says 8 Local Workers Killed and 21 Wounded". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2025. {{cite news}}: |first2= missing |last2= (help); More than one of |last1= and |last= specified (help)
  52. ^ Berman, Lazar; Magid, Emanuel; Freiberg, Nava (12 June 2025). "Hamas police says it killed 12 members of Gaza's Israeli-backed Abu Shabab militia". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  53. ^ "Israeli strikes kill at least 52 across Gaza as UN demands ceasefire". Al Jazeera. 12 June 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  54. ^ "Death Toll from Israeli Aggression on Gaza Rises to 55,207". Qatar News Agency.
  55. ^ Al Sawalhi, Mohammad; Dahman, Ibrahim; Salman, Abeer; Lister, Tim; Liebermann, Oren (2025-05-29). "Israel faces growing condemnation as Gaza aid distribution devolves into chaos". CNN. Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  56. ^ "Dozens of Palestinians massacred at US-Israel backed food distribution sites". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. June 1, 2025. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  57. ^ Mohammad Al Sawalhi; Jeremy Diamond; Kareem Khadder; Abeer Salman (2025-05-27). "Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger". CNN. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
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