Over 20 Killed Near Aid Distribution Site in Gaza, Palestinian Health Officials Say

At least 20 people were killed on Sunday in southern Gaza near an aid distribution site, according to local health officials, as hungry Palestinians gathered en masse hoping to receive some food from the facility.

It was not immediately clear who had opened fire in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The Palestine Red Crescent Society said its paramedics had evacuated at least 23 killed and 23 wounded from the area, all with gunshot wounds. In a statement, Gaza’s health ministry gave a higher toll of 31.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of any injuries caused by Israeli fire “within the humanitarian aid site,” but did not immediately rule out shooting nearby. Hamas accused Israeli forces of attacking people who had gathered to seek food. The New York Times could not verify the circumstances of the attack.

Over the past week, Israel has launched a contentious plan to overhaul aid distribution in Gaza. Israeli officials say the new system — run mainly by American contractors — of four sites in southern Gaza would prevent Hamas from seizing the food, fuel and other goods, but aid agencies have criticized the initiative.

Huge crowds of Gazans have headed for the new aid sites, hoping to receive a box of food supplies. While some days have gone relatively smoothly, there have also been chaotic scenes, including one instance in which Israeli forces fired what they described as warning shots.

The United Nations and other major humanitarian relief groups have boycotted the sites, accusing Israel of wielding aid as part of its military strategy. U.N. officials said there was little evidence that Hamas systematically diverted relief. Critics in Israel have warned the effort could be the first step toward establishing formal Israeli rule over Gaza.

The new arrangement was drawn up by Israeli military officials and their associates and stipulates that Israeli forces secure the perimeter of four aid sites in southern Gaza. U.S. security contractors are overseeing the distribution of boxes of food there as part of the newly-created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

On Sunday, the foundation reiterated that it was unaware of any attacks in or around its distribution sites. “Our aid was again distributed today without incident,” the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said, adding that reports to the contrary were “fomented by Hamas.”

The violence took place a day after the Trump administration rejected Hamas’s response to a cease-fire proposal. On Saturday night, the United States had suggested a two-month truce to free hostages. Hamas officials argued that the proposal did not go far enough to ensure that the cease-fire would become permanent, an issue that has long been the main sticking point with Israel in the truce talks.

Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s Mideast envoy, denounced Hamas’s response as totally unacceptable, saying it “only takes us backward.”

For more than two months, the Israeli authorities imposed a near-total blockade on Gaza, stopping shipments of food, fuel and medicine from entering the enclave in what they called an attempt to pressure Hamas over stalled cease-fire talks.

Since the restrictions were imposed, many Gazans have gone hungry as stockpiles of food dwindled. Communal soup kitchens closed and doctors have reported increasing amounts of malnutrition, including among children. Israel finally began relaxing the ban on humanitarian aid in mid-May.

On Tuesday, chaos erupted at a distribution site in what remained of Rafah’s Tel al-Sultan neighborhood. Large groups of Palestinians — forced to crowd into small, fenced-in corridors — burst through barriers into the area.

The Israeli military said soldiers fired “warning shots in the area outside the compound” in an effort to restore control. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation denied any “civilians or individuals involved with the distribution of aid” were harmed in the incident.

The International Committee of the Red Cross later reported that its nearby field hospital had received about 48 people — including women and children — suffering from gunshot wounds on Tuesday night. The organization did not say whether the two incidents were connected.

Reporting was contributed by Gabby Sobelman, Rawan Sheikh Ahmad, Iyad Abuheweila and Myra Noveck.