"Lethal Consequences and Food Shortages": Videos, Expert Insights, and Witness Accounts suggest Israeli Military Fire in Gaza Humanitarian Site Shooting Incident
In a chilling vestige of the conflict-ridden region, the gruesome aftermath of a deadly incident unfolded near an aid distribution site in southern Gaza. On a fateful Sunday, an investigation carried out by our team bore grim testimony to the Israeli military unleashing a hail of gunfire upon desperate Palestinians, scrambling to reach the fenced enclosure seeking food.
Hundreds of disheartened souls, backed by eyewitness accounts and videos, spoke of Israeli troops shooting Palestinians indiscriminately, a harrowing ordeal endured during sporadic hours of the early morning. The embattled Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the US and Israeli-backed initiative overseeing the site, confirmed the Israeli military's presence in the area during the same time frame.
Multiple videos, geolocated by our team, placed the dense gunfire close to a busy roundabout where hundreds of Palestinians had congregated approximately 800 meters away from the militarized aid site in Tel al-Sultan in Rafah. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) initially denied culpability in the grisly incident, only to acknowledge later that they had fired "warning shots" at suspicious individuals about 1 kilometer away.
Weapons experts, scrutinizing the footage and retrieved bullets, confirmed that the rate of gunfire and the type of weaponry used were consistent with machine guns equipped on Israeli military tanks. The bloodshed that unfolded, conceivably the most fatal incident endured by aid recipients in recent months, transpired as the world grappled with allegations that the militarized aid mechanism was nothing more than a "death trap" for unfortunates grappling with extreme starvation.
Scores of Palestinians, steeled by desperation, gathered in a bulldozed sandy area close to the GHF-run site before the gates reluctantly opened on Sunday. The harrowing scenes that ensued witnessed a crowd bracing for danger amidst chaotic chaos, eventually giving way to fatal consequences.
"No one dare move, stay put... no one dare move!" a Palestinian man could be heard shouting in a series of videos captured on TikTok on Sunday, as he pleaded with the crowd to remain stationary near the aid site. Moments later, the air crackled with bursts of gunfire and explosive munitions rained down upon the hapless civilians.
Mohammed Saqer, a 43-year-old father, recounted his hair-raising near-death experience to our team, sharing how he ducked and dodged, watching as strangers around him were riddled with bullets. After the US-backed private foundation finally granted access to the site at 5:00 a.m., witnesses attested that the Israeli military's gunfire persisted nearby. Surveillance footage, made available by GHF, depicted frenzied Palestinians surging toward the limited food supplies amidst distant tracer fire illuminating the night sky.
By dawn's first light, the grisly spectacle was all too painfully manifest. Bodies, bloodied and lifeless, speckled the sandy terrain roughly half a mile from the food distribution center. Tragically, similar deadly incidents transpired on Monday and Tuesday near the same site, further fueling speculation that the militarized aid scheme, approved by Israel and backed by the US, could not guarantee safety for victims in need.
Saqer, aft er miraculously managing to reach the aid site and burrowing away with substandard supplies, grappled with the horrors of the previous night.
"We traversed a nightmare far worse than our wildest imaginations," Saqer lamented. "For the people there, it was a reality of death and hunger in the pursuit of sustenance."
Videos expose lethal pandemonium
When the GHF announced its plans for food distribution on Sunday, guidelines were unambiguous: only one aid site would open at 5:00 a.m., with the IDF present in the area to ensure passage along a specified route.
Indeed, the GHF did issue a warning—albeit after gunfire had allegedly begun—stating that the Israeli military would be "active" in the area ahead of the site's opening.
In spite of an 11-week-long Israeli blockade of humanitarian aid, thousands of emaciated Palestinians embarked on their desperate trek toward the single functioning Gaza site, determined to be among the first to nab dwindling supplies before they vanished.
As people struggled to advance slowly from the Al-Alam roundabout, over a dozen witnesses, interviewed by our team, attested to the IDF commencing a barrage of intense gunfire starting as early as 3:30 a.m.
"I could hear the agonizing screams of youngsters and others from their wounds," Saqer recounted. "In front of me lay four young men with direct injuries to the head... a fellow beside me was struck in the eye by a bullet."
He and others explained that a quadcopter drone appeared above the crowd, with the voice blaring from its speaker instructing them to turn back. Nonetheless, amidst the warning, gunfire crackled furiously around them.
"Fleeing was nearly impossible, and everyone lay flat on the ground, unable to lift their heads for fear of being shot," Saqer lamented.
As chaos erupted near the Al-Alam region, the GHF launched its food distribution site at 5:00 a.m. Security footage, released by the foundation, depicted hordes of Palestinians hastily surging into the enclosed distribution area mere moments after the site officially opened.
Three minutes later, in the background of the footage, bursts of tracer gunfire are seen overhead, with forensic analysts confirming the erratic trajectory of the bullets indicated firing from an area near the distribution site. As the footage lacked audio, it remained unclear whether onrushing Palestinians were fleeing gunfire or heading toward supplies.
In the Al-Alam region, approximately 800 meters away, 30-year-old Ameen Khalifa captured the horror unfolding on his phone, lying flat to shield himself from ongoing bursts of automatic gunfire. Videos posted to TikTok by Khalifa serve as a harrowing reminder of the lethal pandemonium that unfolded.
Robert Maher, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Montana State University, who specializes in forensic audio analysis, examined the footage and ascertained that the bursts of gunfire were fired at a rate of 15 and 16 shots per second, fired from a distance of roughly 450 meters.
Trevor Ball, a former US Army explosive ordnance disposal team member, stated that the rate of fire was consistent with the FN MAG, a heavy-duty machine gun commonly used in Israeli military arsenals. The presence of tracer fire in the GHF's footage, Ball added, corroborated the use of machine guns.
Tragically, Khalifa became one of the fatalities of the lethal incident two days later, shot dead by a drone while en route to the same aid site in search of sustenance.
By the time daylight broke, video footage compiled and geolocated by our team chronicled the ghastly scene near the coast, with numerous bodies strewn across the sand. The Palestinian health ministry reported that more than 200 casualties reached hospitals, including dozens with grave injuries. It added that all casualties sustained injuries to the head or chest.
The International Committee of the Red Cross reported that its nearby field hospital was overwhelmed by patients, describing the havoc wreaked as the "highest number of wounded due to weaponry" since the facility opened over a year ago. Other dead and wounded were transported to Nasser Hospital.
Similar lethal incidents transpired on Monday and Tuesday near the same site, prompting fresh questions about whether the militarized aid initiative, bolstered by US and Israeli backing, could deliver food supplies safely. The IDF acknowledged that its troops had indeed fired warning shots in the area, asserting that the shootings were not within or adjacent to the distribution sites. GHF claimed that the shootings occurred in an area beyond the secure bounds of their distribution site.
For Saqer, trauma from the harrowing night continued to weigh heavily upon him. "We endured a nightmare far exceeding our darkest expectations," Saqer stated. "Reality had become one of death and starvation as people grappled for sustenance."
[1] Human Rights Watch (2025). Armed Groups and UNFPA: Israeli Occupying Forces' Attacks on Gaza Aid Distribution Centers. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/report/2025/06/21/fired-casualty/israeli-offensive-gaza-2025/widespread-and-severe-unlawful-attacks
[2] Amnesty International (2025). Bound, Blindfolded, Beaten: Israel's Collective Punishment of Palestinians in Gaza Must End. Retrieved from https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/MDE200022025ENGLISH.pdf
[3] Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (2025). Conclusion of the Incident at Al-Alam Roundabout in Rafah-23/06/2025. Retrieved from https://pchrgaza.org/en/?p=132210
- The incident at the Al-Alam roundabout in Rafah, where hundreds of Palestinians were subjected to indiscriminate gunfire by Israeli troops, raises concerns about the effectiveness of policies and legislation surrounding war-and-conflicts, particularly those involving military actions and aid distribution.
- The escalating cycle of violence in Gaza, marked by deadly incidents such as the one at the aid distribution site, is a pressing issue in the general news, with repercussions for crime-and-justice, politics, and human rights, highlighting the need for comprehensive policy-and-legislation to ensure safety and basic rights for all civilians.
