At least 43 Palestinians, including 21 people who were waiting in line for aid, were killed in the latest wave of Israeli violence in the Gaza Strip, according to medical sources cited by Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
The report noted that several deaths occurred after dawn as Israeli forces targeted multiple areas. A particularly tragic incident unfolded in southern Khan Younis, where chaos broke out at a humanitarian aid distribution center run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 15 people died due to suffocation and stampedes caused by tear gas fired near the aid queue.
Earlier, the Israeli military reportedly launched an assault on a displaced persons camp in the Al-Mawasi area, killing at least 9 more Palestinians, many of them women and children, adding to the mounting toll of civilians in the besieged enclave.
Al Jazeera also reported that GHF blamed the deadly stampede at the Khan Younis aid center on armed individuals linked to Hamas. In an official statement, the organization claimed that certain individuals intentionally incited unrest, which led to at least 19 people being crushed and one person being stabbed to death.
GHF also alleged that firearms were visible within the crowd, and said an American aid worker was threatened at gunpoint. The foundation, established in May, has come under fire for poor crowd control and security—over 800 Palestinians have reportedly died in or near its centers since operations began.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani to discuss a potential ceasefire agreement in Gaza, according to Axios journalist Barak Ravid.
The meeting is also expected to cover renewed talks on a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal, as diplomatic channels remain active. A Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Al Jazeera that negotiations between Israel and Hamas are ongoing in Doha, though no final agreement has been reached.