In a devastating turn of events in Gaza, dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured while scrambling for humanitarian aid in Rafah, prompting a forceful call from UN Secretary-General António Guterres for an independent and urgent investigation.
“I am appalled,” said Guterres, reacting to harrowing reports of civilians shot while trying to collect food. “This demands accountability.”
The chaos unfolded Sunday near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid site, where eyewitnesses claim Israeli tanks opened fire on a desperate crowd. Panic followed. Bodies fell. The UN says the truth must come out.
But Israel’s military flatly denied any involvement, insisting its troops “did not fire at civilians” and branding the reports “false.” GHF, a US-Israeli-backed body, called the claims “outright fabrications,” asserting there were “no incidents, no injuries, no deaths.”
Yet, on the ground, the story looks tragically different.
Gaza’s Civil Defence reported 31 killed and 176 wounded by Israeli fire. The Red Cross hospital said it received 179 injured, with 21 already dead. Médecins Sans Frontières teams in Khan Younis treated critically injured civilians who described being attacked by “tanks, drones, and helicopters” as they approached aid trucks.
Footage shared online appeared to show people scrambling for cover under heavy gunfire. Though unverified, it matches survivors’ chilling accounts.
The Israeli military later released drone footage claiming Hamas militants fired near aid lines. An official added that warning shots were fired at “suspects,” 1km away from the site — suggesting a disconnect from the massacre itself.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk didn’t mince words. “Can you imagine starving people being forced to run for food — and getting shot at?” he asked. “This model of aid delivery is inhumane.”
Tragedy continued Monday, as three more Palestinians were reportedly killed near the same aid site. Meanwhile, an airstrike in northern Gaza’s Jabalia killed 14 people, including six children. Twenty remain trapped under rubble.
Rafah is now the epicenter of Israel’s intensified ground offensive, part of what Prime Minister Netanyahu called a mission to “control all of Gaza.” The war, reignited in March after a brief ceasefire, has already claimed over 54,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza’s health authorities.
Israel insists its operations are aimed at forcing Hamas to release hostages — with 58 still believed captive, including at least 20 thought to be alive.
But mounting outrage and conflicting claims have cast doubt over the truth — and added urgency to calls for international access, independent fact-finding, and justice.
“Without impartial eyes on the ground,” warned human rights groups, “innocent lives will continue to vanish in the fog of war — unheard, and uncounted.”
