Israel kills 51 Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza

51 people were killed, most of them near aid distribution centers in central and southern Gaza, by Israeli army fire since early yesterday, Tuesday, as announced by the civil defense in Gaza.

Medical sources reported that many of the victims were children, while the number of wounded increased significantly amid a state of emergency in hospitals facing immense pressure.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP that ambulance crews transferred at least 25 martyrs to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, along with a large number of injuries, some of them serious.

21 martyrs and more than 150 wounded were also transferred to Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat camp after the Israeli army opened fire and shelled thousands of Palestinians who were waiting for aid near the American distribution center between Martyrs Junction and Wadi Gaza Bridge in central Gaza.

Eyewitnesses confirmed that the gunfire and shelling targeted thousands of Palestinians waiting on Salah al-Din Road near the Netsareim Junction, where people were trying to approach aid trucks.

One witness said that the Israeli army simultaneously fired bullets, artillery shells, and drones, resulting in deaths and injuries.

The United Nations stated that using food as a weapon in Gaza constitutes a "war crime," and called on the Israeli army to cease firing on civilians seeking humanitarian aid.

International human rights organizations warned of the chaos surrounding aid distribution in Gaza and expressed concerns about potential complicity in "war crimes" due to the procedures followed by some parties involved in the distribution.

Since the beginning of March 2025, Israel has completely blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, leading to a severe shortage of food, medicine, and basic goods, with a partial easing of the blockade in late May.

The UN Office for Human Rights confirmed that more than 410 Palestinians were killed while attempting to reach aid distribution points, while the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported the martyrdom of 450 people and the injury of 3500 since the start of the recent distribution operations.

These developments come amid the ongoing war that broke out in October 2023, resulting in the deaths of around 56,000 Palestinians, most of whom were civilians, according to the statistics of the Ministry of Health in Gaza.