Israeli Troops Open Fire on Aid Seekers in Gaza, Killing Four Amid Food Crisis

Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians on Sunday as they attempted to access aid in a military-controlled area south of Gaza City, witnesses and hospital officials said, highlighting the growing danger faced by civilians seeking food in the war-ravaged territory.

The incident took place in the Netzarim corridor, a zone frequently used by Palestinians attempting to reach food distribution points and medical services.

According to eyewitnesses and Al-Awda Hospital, Israeli troops opened fire on a crowd making its way toward a site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American contractor supported by Israel.

Witnesses said the shooting occurred several hundred meters from the aid distribution point.

“The gunfire was indiscriminate,” said Mohamed Abed, a father from the Bureij refugee camp, describing the panic that ensued. “Some people fled, but others were hit and fell.”

Another witness, Aymed Sayyad, said the crowd surged forward before the site had officially opened, prompting the gunfire.

He reported helping two wounded individuals, one shot in the shoulder, the other in the leg.

Neither the Israeli military nor GHF responded to requests for comment.

The deaths add to a mounting toll of Palestinians killed while trying to access aid, as northern Gaza faces worsening food shortages and Israel intensifies operations ahead of a widely anticipated offensive in Gaza City.