DaysofPal – Israeli forces killed at least 80 Palestinians and injured hundreds more in two deadly ambushes at US-managed aid distribution centers in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The attacks occurred in Rafah and Khan Younis, where thousands of desperate civilians had gathered to receive essential food supplies amidst a deepening famine.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as Israeli artillery and gunfire targeted crowds waiting for aid. In Rafah’s al-Alam area, around 30 people were killed, while nearly 50 lost their lives in the al-Tahlia area of Khan Younis, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
“We headed to the distribution point after hearing that wheat would be handed out. At 7am, we were ambushed in the Tahlia area,” said Abdalla Elyyan, a resident of Khan Younis. “We had been told aid would be distributed in 30 minutes, when suddenly, without warning, shells and bullets rained down. Chaos erupted. People were strewn across the streets, so many killed and wounded.”
Elyyan described the scene as catastrophic: “Can you imagine shells raining down on thousands of people packed into a small area? The number of people killed was staggering.”
Nidal Abu Nseira, another eyewitness from Khan Younis, recounted that shells fell in the midst of a crowd of nearly 5,000 people. “Hundreds were killed or wounded. I personally transported at least 50 injured people; many had injuries to the head and legs. Body parts were scattered across the streets.”
Hospitals in Gaza are struggling to cope with the influx of casualties. Emergency departments, intensive care units, and operating rooms are overflowing, and there is a severe shortage of essential medicines and medical supplies. Health officials warn that the system is on the brink of collapse.
Since the unilateral end of a ceasefire on 18 March, Israeli attacks have intensified across Gaza, killing at least 5,139 people. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war began on 7 October 2023 has now reached 55,432, according to health ministry data.
Israel is still strictly preventing the enclave from receiving food, water, and other necessities for survival.
Access to aid is now controlled through the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose distribution efforts have become flashpoints for violence.
Many Palestinians view the aid setup as a deadly trap. “It’s a trap, not an aid organization.” “It’s a trap to kill our men,” said one woman whose cousin was killed in Tuesday’s attacks. “He went out to get food for his family. And he was killed. They set up this new aid mechanism so they can lure our young men and kill them one by one.”
In a further escalation, Israel launched an attack on Gaza’s last remaining fiber optic internet route on Thursday, cutting off all landline and internet communications across the territory. This left residents in southern and central Gaza without any means to reach the outside world, joining northern areas that had already been cut off earlier in the week.
In a statement, the Gaza-based Government Media Office condemned the move as “a crime aimed at obscuring the truth and deepening the humanitarian catastrophe.” The statement added, “The widespread and recurring interruption of communications and the internet cannot be considered a technical or accidental failure. Rather, it is a deliberate and premeditated crime aimed at isolating the Gaza Strip from the outside world, obscuring the truth, and depriving citizens of the most basic necessities of life, safety, communication, and assistance.”
Even after a brief and partial restoration of services over the weekend, renewed bombardments on Monday once again disrupted telecommunications. On that day alone, 51 Palestinians were killed, including 36 who were awaiting aid.
The Gaza Ministry of Health announced that as of June 16, the number of Palestinians killed while attempting to access humanitarian aid since May 27 has risen to 338, with 2,831 others wounded. Despite the mounting death toll and a looming famine, aid-seekers continue to gather wherever food distribution is rumored, risking their lives in hopes of survival.
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