At least six Palestinians were killed and several more injured on Monday after Israeli forces and local gunmen opened fire on a crowd approaching a Gaza aid center backed by Israel and the U.S., according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Witnesses said the shooting happened near Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, where residents have increasingly relied on aid to survive amid deepening humanitarian collapse. This latest tragedy adds to a mounting death toll linked to a controversial new food delivery system that’s dividing global aid actors and raising fresh questions about military involvement in humanitarian spaces.
Chaos Near the Food Lines
Eyewitnesses described a terrifying moment. A large crowd had gathered at a newly established food distribution point run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation when gunfire rang out.
Some say the firing came from local militias working with Israeli forces. Others pointed fingers at Israeli soldiers directly. What’s clear is that six lives were lost, and several more people were carried away bleeding as aid packages lay strewn across the sand.
One witness, Mahmoud al-Sheikh, said, “We were just trying to get some food. People started throwing stones because they were hungry and tired, and then bullets started flying. It was madness.”
Unarmed and Unprotected
This wasn’t the first time aid seekers were caught in the crossfire.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, more than 127 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds wounded since March when a new U.S.-Israeli food aid system was rolled out. The intention? To sideline Hamas and deliver aid through alternative channels. The reality? Crowds without clear instructions, security, or coordination keep ending up in deadly confrontations.
It’s a grim paradox. A program meant to alleviate hunger has now become a trigger for bloodshed.
The U.N. and several major humanitarian groups have refused to cooperate with the new model. They say it’s chaotic, lacks oversight, and has militarized what should be a purely civilian space.
Who Are the Gunmen?
One of the most troubling elements on Monday was the role of armed groups operating in tandem with Israeli soldiers.
Witnesses say the men who opened fire weren’t in IDF uniforms but were operating openly near Israeli positions. After the shooting, they reportedly retreated into Israeli-controlled zones.
That lines up with a recent admission by Israeli authorities who confirmed they’ve been supporting local armed factions in Gaza to fill the vacuum left by Hamas in some areas.
Critics warn this is a dangerous game. Arming and deploying unregulated militias—especially in humanitarian contexts—creates more confusion and zero accountability.
• “Nobody even knows who’s giving orders,” said an aid worker who asked not to be named. “The people on the ground are scared, angry, and desperate. And those with guns feel untouchable.”
Mounting Deaths, Few Answers
Here’s a quick overview of violence linked to aid distribution in Gaza since March 2025:
| Incident Date | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Official Probe? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 21 | Deir al-Balah | 14 | 37 | No |
| April 5 | Khan Younis | 9 | 22 | No |
| May 2 | Rafah | 28 | 51 | Partial |
| May 17 | Jabalia | 19 | 63 | No |
| June 9 | Rafah | 6 | Unknown | Pending |
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, has repeatedly called for an independent investigation into these incidents. But so far, Israel has declined.
One sentence here: No international observers were present at Monday’s incident.
Israel and U.S. Stand By Distribution Model
Despite the bloodshed, both Washington and Tel Aviv have doubled down on their support for the new aid strategy.
Israel defends it as a necessary step to ensure aid doesn’t fall into Hamas hands. The U.S. has echoed that sentiment, calling it a “safer and more accountable alternative,” though it hasn’t addressed the rising death toll directly.
However, internal documents leaked last month showed some U.S. officials expressing doubts about the program’s sustainability and the risks of “blurring military-humanitarian lines.”
Aid groups like Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross have stayed away from these new distribution hubs. One MSF spokesperson put it bluntly: “These aren’t aid zones. They’re conflict zones with bread.”
Greta Thunberg and the Gaza-Bound Boat
Meanwhile, another headline added fuel to the fire: climate activist Greta Thunberg was among several international activists detained by Israeli naval forces after attempting to reach Gaza by sea.
The boat, carrying medical supplies and food, was intercepted off the coast and redirected to Ashdod. Israeli authorities say the blockade remains necessary due to “security concerns.”
Thunberg’s arrest made waves online, drawing attention back to the aid crisis and sparking fresh outrage on social media.
One user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: “When climate activists are arrested for bringing baby formula to starving kids, you know something’s gone horribly wrong.”
The Human Cost Keeps Climbing
The broader picture is bleak. Gaza remains shattered, its people hungry and displaced. With power supplies gone, hospitals damaged, and drinking water scarce, aid is the only lifeline.
But the fight over how aid is delivered—and who delivers it—is putting lives in danger. Whether Monday’s shooting will spark policy shifts or simply fade into the growing list of “incidents” remains to be seen.
One woman at the Rafah aid site summed it up in broken English: “No food, no safety, no future. Why world silent?”
