Gaza, MINA – At least 30 Palestinians were killed and more than 150 injured on Sunday after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians gathered for aid distribution in Al-Mawasi, west of Rafah in southern Gaza, according to medical sources cited by Anadolu Agency.
Eyewitnesses reported that large crowds had assembled early in the morning at the aid center of the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” an American initiative reportedly backed by Israel. As civilians approached the distribution point, Israeli military vehicles opened fire, and drones reportedly dropped explosives on the crowd, resulting in a high number of casualties.
Medical sources confirmed that the bodies of at least 30 victims and dozens of injured individuals were transported to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis and to a field hospital run by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
In a preliminary statement, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 179 people had been admitted to local hospitals. Among them were 21 confirmed fatalities, five people in a state of clinical death, and 30 in critical condition following the assault near the Al-Alam area of Rafah.
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A medical official described the area around the aid center as “extremely dangerous,” stating that ambulances struggled to reach the injured due to ongoing gunfire. In some cases, victims were evacuated using carts.
At the same time, Israeli forces reportedly fired on civilians near another American-run aid center close to the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. According to medical personnel at Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, at least one person was killed and 20 others injured near Al-Bureij camp.
The Gaza Government Media Office condemned the attacks, accusing Israel of “weaponizing humanitarian aid” by using it as a tool to lure starving civilians into “exposed killing zones.”
According to an Anadolu tally based on Palestinian sources, these latest attacks bring the number of Palestinians killed near aid distribution points to 39 in less than a week, with over 220 injured.
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The “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” initiative, launched roughly a week ago, has faced significant backlash from Palestinian communities and international humanitarian groups. Critics argue that the program operates outside the UN aid structure and fails to meet international humanitarian standards.
Since March 2, Israel has sealed all border crossings, halting the entry of essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents. Israel’s military campaign, ongoing since October 2023, has resulted in the deaths of nearly 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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