More than 30 Palestinians were allegedly killed by Israeli forces as they tried to receive aid in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 31 people were killed and 170 others were wounded after the Israel Defense Forces allegedly fired on crowds.
Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire while thousands of people headed toward an aid site before dawn, adding that Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later. As they reached a mark around 1,000 yards away from the aid site, Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said.
Mohammed Abu Teaima said he saw Israeli forces shoot and kill his cousin, among several other people.
“They opened heavy fire directly toward us,” he said.
The IDF said it was “unaware” of injuries caused by forces allegedly firing on crowds around aid sites.
“Currently unaware of injuries caused by fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review,” the IDF said in a statement.
The Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid distribution has seen multiple instances of crowds being shot at by Israeli forces, witnesses say, though the foundation said it delivered aid “without incident.” The group has denied allegations of chaos and gunfire around its aid sites in the past.
The foundation added that there has been “false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.”
Those who witnessed the incidents said the attacks seemed to come from everywhere at once.
“There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,” Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd, told the Associated Press. Abu Teiba said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds as people used carts to deliver the injured to a field hospital run by the Red Cross.
“The scene was horrible,” he said.
Dr. Marwan al Hams, a health ministry official at Nasser Hospital, said most victims were shot “in the upper part of their bodies, including the head, neck and chest.”
HERE ARE THE EXECUTIVE ORDERS THAT HAVE BEEN STRUCK DOWN
Gaza has been ravaged in Israel’s war against Hamas after the terrorist group started the war with its Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Israel has relentlessly bombed the region in its attempt to seek retribution and destroy Hamas.
The bombing has created a humanitarian crisis as people struggle to seek aid or find food. Israel has complicated the aid process by preventing aid from entering Gaza, citing a fear that it would help Hamas. Israel recently allowed aid into Gaza after launching a ground assault on the region.