Israeli military fired near a distribution point in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip. The Ministry of Health under Hamas control in the enclave reported that 24 people were killed. The Israel Defense Forces announced that soldiers had fired upon individuals who did not respond to warning shots here.
A spokesperson for the Gaza Strip civil defense service, Mahmoud Bassal, emphasized that Israeli military fired at Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid from tanks and drones.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Health under Hamas control in the same location announced that 31 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured as a result of Israeli strikes.
At that time, the IDF denied firing at Palestinians, stating that soldiers had opened warning fire when they felt threatened by people approaching them.
Now, the Israel Defense Forces say that after identifying "suspicious individuals" about half a kilometer away from the distribution point, they opened fire.
According to the statement, an initial warning shot was fired, and when the concerning individuals continued to approach, "additional shots were fired at the location of several separate suspects who were moving towards the soldiers".
The Israel Defense Forces also acknowledged they are aware of the casualties reports, stating that "details of the event are being investigated".
The Ministry of Health controlled by Hamas in the enclave reported another incident resulting in 24 deaths and dozens injured.
Civil defense representative Bassal told BBC’s correspondent in Gaza, Rushdi Abu Alouf, that the majority of those killed and wounded at the distribution center in Rafah were struck by fire from tanks, helicopters, and quadcopters.
Bassal confirmed that the incident did not occur near the center but rather several hundred meters away from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund foundation.
The director of the “Nosir” hospital in Khan Yunis said, "24 people were killed and 37 were injured as a result of Israeli forces firing at a civilian crowd," noting that the majority of the injured were hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
According to Times of Israel, as Palestinians were heading towards the distribution point in Rafah along organized routes, IDF forces noticed individuals approaching the military and also deviating from pre-confirmed routes about half a kilometer away from the relief complex.
The Gaza humanitarian aid fund, supported by the US and Israel and responsible for distributing the aid, insists that the aid was distributed on Tuesday morning without any incidents, as emphasized by the publication.
The Israel Defense Forces stated that the fund has been given the opportunity to independently operate “to distribute aid among the population of Gaza and to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization”.
"The Israel Defense Forces are not hindering the arrival of the Gaza population to the distribution points. The shooting took place approximately half a kilometer from the distribution point, targeted at certain suspects who were approaching the soldiers in a threatening manner," – IDF statement highlights.
The Gaza humanitarian aid fund previously denied reports of unrest and gunfire around its points.
