Gaza City, July 20 — A desperate search for food turned deadly on Sunday when Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on crowds of Palestinians gathered near an aid distribution point in Gaza, killing at least 32 people and wounding dozens more, according to Gaza’s health ministry and eyewitnesses, reported by Mehr News Agency.
The incident marks one of the deadliest attacks on civilians seeking humanitarian aid in the ongoing conflict, further fueling international concern over Israel’s military campaign and the worsening humanitarian crisis in the besieged enclave.
Victims were rushed to Nasser Medical Complex, where rows of bodies lined the floors of the hospital. A CNN video from the scene showed distraught family members clinging to the lifeless forms of their loved ones. One father, cradling his young son, wept, “He just wanted to eat. What could I do?”
The exact location of the shooting remains unclear. Eyewitness Hisham Dargam told reporters the gunfire erupted approximately four kilometers (2.5 miles) from a food distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation—an organization that has drawn controversy due to its backing by Israel and the United States.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that at least 67 people were killed across Gaza on Sunday, including 63 who were attempting to access food or aid when Israeli strikes or gunfire hit.
The Israeli military has not publicly commented on the incident as of Sunday evening. Aid organizations have warned for weeks that conditions in Gaza are dire, with food, medicine, and clean water increasingly scarce after months of bombardment and blockade.
International pressure is mounting on Israel to scale back its military operations and allow unrestricted humanitarian access to Gaza. But for families mourning in hospital corridors, Sunday’s bloodshed is another devastating reminder that even hunger is no longer safe.
