At least 44 people killed after Israeli forces open fire near aid trucks in Gaza, witnesses say

At least 44 people have been killed after Israeli forces and drones opened fire on people waiting for aid in two separate incidents in Gaza, according to witnesses and hospital officials.

In one of the incidents, witnesses told the Associated Press (AP) news agency that Israeli forces fired as people were advancing towards approaching aid trucks on a road south of Wadi Gaza in central Gaza.

The Awda hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp, which treated some of the victims, confirmed 25 deaths and said another 146 people were wounded.

Among them were 62 people in a critical condition, who were transferred to other hospitals, it added.

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In the central town of Deir al-Balah, the Al Aqsa Martyrs hospital said it received the bodies of six people who were killed in the same incident.

"It was a massacre," witness Ahmed Halawa said.

He said tanks and drones fired at people, "even as we were fleeing - many people were either martyred or wounded".

Another witness, Hossam Abu Shahada, said drones were flying over the area. Then there was gunfire from tanks and drones, leaving a "chaotic and bloody" scene as people attempted to escape.

He said he saw at least three people lying on the ground motionless and many others wounded as he fled.

In the other incident, in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, witnesses said Israeli troops started firing as thousands of Palestinians gathered at the Shakoush area, several hundred yards from another aid distribution site.

At least 19 were killed and 50 others wounded, according to Nasser hospital and Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry.

Witness Ayman Abu Joda said he saw heavy gunfire from Israeli tanks and helped evacuate three wounded people, including one who had been hit in the chest.

"It was the same tragedy every day: We seek food and the occupation opens fire and kills many," he said.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the reports.

Gaza aid mechanism 'an abomination', says UN

Food distribution sites in the region are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American contractor operating with support from the US and Israeli governments.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, described the aid delivery mechanism in Gaza as "an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people".

He added: "It is a death trap, costing more lives than it saves."

A spokesperson for the UN's Human Rights Office said: "The weaponisation of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Meanwhile, Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said more than 56,000 Palestinians had now been killed during Israel's 21-month military operation in the territory.

The ministry said more than half of the dead were women and children. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its count.

The latest conflict in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, when militants stormed across the border and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostages. Many of the hostages have been released in ceasefire agreements.

(c) Sky News 2025: At least 44 people killed after Israeli forces open fire near aid trucks in Gaza, witnesses say