At least 11 Palestinians were reportedly shot dead on Wednesday while waiting for food aid in Gaza, in what rescuers have described as another deadly escalation of the worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

According to Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency, Israeli forces opened fire and fired shells at a crowd of thousands gathered along Salah al-Din Road in central Gaza. The victims, many of them seeking basic food supplies, were among 33 people killed in Israeli strikes and gunfire across the territory in a single day.

In response, the Israeli military said its troops, operating in the Nuseirat area, had fired warning shots after a group approached in what it called a “threatening manner.” However, it claimed to be unaware of any injuries resulting from the incident.

Elsewhere in the besieged enclave, at least 19 people died in three separate Israeli airstrikes, including eight members of a family in Gaza City's Zeitoun neighborhood, civil defence officials said. The Israeli military maintained that it was targeting Hamas infrastructure as part of ongoing operations.

The Gaza Health Ministry reported that over 140 Palestinians had been killed in the previous 24 hours alone—adding to the more than 55,000 lives lost in the territory since the war erupted last October.

Eyewitnesses recounted horrific scenes near Khan Younis, where Israeli tanks and drones reportedly fired on civilians waiting outside aid centres, including a UN World Food Programme warehouse. Similar scenes played out on Rashid Street northwest of Gaza City, where seven more people were killed while queuing for assistance.

Umm Fida Masoud, a grieving mother at al-Shifa Hospital, described how her son was shot after leaving to collect flour. “He went to bring back food. Instead, he came back in a bag,” she said.

A viral video posted by a local journalist captured another desperate moment. In the clip, a young man celebrates retrieving a 50kg bag of flour from beneath an aid truck: “Inches from death,” he said, holding the sack aloft.

Since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)—a US- and Israel-backed initiative—began operations on 26 May, nearly 400 Palestinians have reportedly been killed while attempting to access aid. The GHF, which operates independently of the UN and uses private security contractors, has come under sharp criticism for bypassing traditional humanitarian frameworks.

Top UN officials and aid organisations have condemned the system. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, called the GHF model “medieval and lethal,” warning that “inviting starving people to their death is a war crime.”

While the GHF claims to have delivered 30 million meals without incident, aid agencies say the system lacks accountability and fuels further chaos. The World Food Programme warned that its shipments—around 9,000 tonnes over the past month—barely scratch the surface of what’s needed.

The continued Israeli blockade and breakdown in coordinated aid delivery has pushed Gaza’s population of 2.1 million to the brink of famine. The UN and major NGOs have refused to cooperate with GHF, saying it violates core principles of neutrality and humanitarian law.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza began after Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on 7 October 2023, killing 1,200 Israelis and taking over 250 hostages. The resulting conflict has since turned into one of the deadliest and most destructive in recent history.

WafricNews will continue to monitor this developing story as the humanitarian toll deepens and global pressure mounts for a political and logistical breakthrough.


By WafricNews Desk