At least 31 people have been killed and over 100 injured in an incident at an aid distribution center in Rafah, southern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The tragedy reportedly occurred after Israeli tanks allegedly opened fire near the center, which was distributing essential humanitarian aid to displaced civilians.
A local Palestinian journalist said that shelling began without warning in the vicinity of the aid site, triggering panic and chaos. In a separate incident, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported 14 injuries near another aid distribution site located in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
However, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—an aid organization supported by both the US and Israel—has strongly denied these reports, calling them “fabricated.” Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated that they were unaware of any injuries caused by their forces at the aid centers.
The fighting is taking place against a backdrop of other military activity in Gaza. Israel fully sealed off and reopened an attack on Hamas on March 18, after a two-month hiatus. The escalation followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023, cross-border raid that killed an estimated 1,200 Israelis and took 251 hostage.
Though both sides offered radically contradictory accounts, the true nature of events at the aid camps cannot be determined. With calls for independent investigations mounting internationally, the body count of civilians on.
Since the conflict began, the Gaza health ministry reports that at least 54,418 people have been killed, with thousands more wounded. Humanitarian conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate amid fuel shortages, collapsed infrastructure, and limited access to medical aid.
With both sides offering starkly different accounts, the true nature of the incidents at the aid centers remains unclear. International calls for independent investigations are mounting as the civilian toll continues to rise.
