A new humanitarian drama occurred this Tuesday morning in the south of the Gaza Strip. According to the Palestinian Civil Defense, at least 51 civilians were killed and more than 200 injured in an Israeli attack near a humanitarian aid distribution center in the city of Khan Younès.
Thousands of hungry Palestinians gathered early in the morning to try to obtain food and basic necessity when the shots broke out. Mahmoud Bassal, a spokesperson for civilians, said that Israeli drones had opened fire on the crowd, followed soon after by several shells pulled by tanks. “There was a massacre. The number of martyrs is very high. There were women, children, the elderly, “he told AFP. According to witnesses, Zionist tanks pulled at least two shells towards a crowd of several thousand people.
The incident occurs while the new humanitarian distribution system, managed by the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” (GHF) with the support of Israel and the United States, is experiencing growing difficulties. Since its implementation at the end of May, several jostles, shots and violence have punctuated the refueling points, already causing dozens of deaths.
While humanitarian aid has become a central issue in the conflict, many Palestinians denounce inhuman distribution conditions, often unsecured, and subject to military control.
Humanitarian workers are concerned about an instrumentalization of aid. Several international NGOs and UN agencies, excluded from the system set up by GHF, accuse Israel of politicizing food assistance and compromising civilians.
Since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza in October 2023, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas Ministry of Health. The majority are civilians, including a large number of women and children. The territory is now experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with chronic shortages of food, drinking water and drugs.
Khan Younès’ attack has been the deadliest for several weeks as part of the aid distribution. It relaunches the calls of the international community in favor of an immediate ceasefire, of unhindered humanitarian access and a return of the UN to the coordination of aid.
