An Israeli attack near an aid distribution center in Gaza killed at least 31 people on Sunday, according to Palestinian health officials, as already fragile ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas appeared to stall.
The strike, which took place in the southern city of Rafah, targeted an area crowded with people desperately seeking food and relief supplies. Paramedics described a scene of chaos and carnage, with the wounded rushed to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
“This is a tragic situation,” said Abu Tareq, a paramedic at the hospital. “So many injuries, so many lives lost. It’s enough—people shouldn’t go to aid points anymore.”
The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that 23 bodies were recovered near the site, with 23 more wounded. An additional 14 people were injured at another distribution site in central Gaza.
Israel’s military said it was investigating the reports but claimed to have no information on casualties from its fire. The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which oversees the distribution centers, denied that anyone was killed or injured at its Rafah site, accusing Hamas of fabricating the reports.
However, witnesses and medics said Israeli forces opened fire from the ground near the site, with a tank shelling crowds gathering for aid. Video footage showed ambulances ferrying the wounded to hospitals.
“This is a massacre,” said Reda Abu Jazar, who lost her brother in the attack. “Let them stop these massacres, stop this genocide. They are killing us.”
The Hamas-run Gaza media office accused Israel of turning food distribution into a “weapon of war,” calling the aid sites “death traps” monitored by Israeli forces.
The GHF, a controversial U.S.-based entity operating in Gaza with Israeli support, has been sharply criticized by international humanitarian groups for allegedly using food aid as a means to forcibly relocate Palestinians and undermine traditional relief efforts. Its executive director resigned last month, citing concerns over the group’s independence and neutrality.
As Gazans bury their dead, hopes for a ceasefire appear more remote than ever. Talks mediated by the United States and Arab countries have ground to a halt, with both Israel and Hamas blaming each other for the impasse.
Hamas said it was ready to release 10 hostages and the bodies of 18 Israelis in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but repeated its demand for an end to the war and a full Israeli withdrawal—conditions Israel refuses to accept.
The conflict has already killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials, and devastated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure. Israel launched its assault after Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting more than 250.
The Israeli strike on desperate aid seekers underscores the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where residents are trapped between hunger and violence—and the world’s attempts to mediate seem to be failing.
