Monday, 25 May 2026
Israeli fire kills 35 in Gaza, many at aid site
CAIRO – At least 35 Palestinians were killed across the Gaza Strip on Saturday by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes, according to local health officials, with the majority of victims losing their lives near an aid distribution center run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
Doctors at Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa Hospitals, where most of the wounded were taken, reported that at least 15 Palestinians died while attempting to reach the GHF distribution site near the Netzarim corridor, Reuters reported.
Additional fatalities occurred in separate attacks throughout Gaza, the officials said. Neither the Israeli military nor the GHF immediately commented on Saturday's incidents.
Since launching food package distributions in late May, the GHF has overseen a new method of aid delivery in Gaza. The United Nations has criticized this system, stating it lacks impartiality and neutrality.
In a statement Saturday, the Gaza health ministry said at least 274 people have been killed and more than 2,000 injured near aid distribution points since GHF operations began.
Hamas, which has denied Israeli accusations of diverting aid, accused Israel of "using hunger as a weapon and turning aid distribution sites into deadly traps for innocent civilians."
Later on Saturday, health officials at Shifa Hospital reported that Israeli gunfire killed at least 12 Palestinians waiting for aid trucks along the northern coastal road, bringing the day's total death toll to at least 35.