[Report by Li Ziyu] The Guardian, citing eyewitnesses and hospital officials, reported that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) attacked Palestinian civilians in two food distribution points in the southern Gaza Strip on the morning of the 19th, local time, resulting in at least 32 deaths and over 100 injuries. In response, the IDF claimed to have “fired warning shots” near the Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
The Guardian described the attack as a “massacre,” stating that the IDF opened fire on the Palestinian civilians without discrimination, who were heading towards the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” distribution point supported by the United States and Israel.
On the 19th, local time, a man was injured while going to the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” distribution point for food and was taken to the hospital. Photo source: Foreign media
The report mentioned that most of the fatalities occurred about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) east of the southern city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. The spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Protection Department in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Bassaleh, attributed the incident to “Israeli shooting.”
The Guardian quoted from the Israeli “Haaretz” news, revealing that medical department sources and on-site witnesses revealed that many of the injured were critically ill, and many of the deceased were children and teenagers. Atif, the director of Nasser Hospital, stated that this situation “has caused unprecedented casualties within a very short period of time,” warning that the actual death toll might be higher. “Due to lack of equipment, medicines, and personnel, we cannot provide adequate medical treatment,” said Atif.
In response to these reports, the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” issued a statement saying that there had been no incidents at its distribution points or nearby, and the reported Israeli shooting incident took place several hours before the distribution points were open. “We have repeatedly warned those seeking assistance not to go to our distribution points at night or early in the morning,” the organization stated.
The Israeli military claimed that after a group of “suspects” approached the troops and ignored the warning to keep a distance, the IDF “fired warning shots” near the Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF added that the incident occurred during the night when the distribution point was closed, and they were investigating reports of casualties.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights stated on July 15 that from May 27 to July 13, at least 875 people in the Gaza Strip had died while on their way to receive aid, including 674 who died near the “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation” distribution points supported by the United States and Israel, and another 201 who died near the routes operated by UN or UN partner organizations. On the same day, Franchesca Alba Nessar, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, called on the international community to take action to stop the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
According to the latest data from the Gaza Strip health department, since the outbreak of new rounds of Israeli-Palestinian conflict in October 2023, the IDF’s actions have resulted in more than 58,000 deaths in the Gaza Strip.
