The United Nations says more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed while seeking food aid in Gaza since late May. According to the UN human rights office, 859 deaths occurred near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites, while 514 people were killed along food convoy routes. The UN says most of these killings were caused by Israeli forces.
On Friday, Israeli fire killed 11 more people in Gaza, including two near an aid distribution site, Gaza’s civil defence agency said. Spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five were killed in Khan Yunis and four more in Deir el-Balah. Two others were killed and over 70 injured near a GHF centre between Khan Yunis and Rafah.
The Israeli military has not confirmed these strikes and declined to comment without receiving exact coordinates. Meanwhile, GHF denies that any fatal shootings occurred directly at its aid locations. Daily aid operations remain chaotic, with frequent reports of violence at distribution sites.
Since the war began nearly 22 months ago, Gaza has faced severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel. These worsened after Israel imposed a total aid blockade for over two months, easing only in late May. Although more aid has entered since GHF began operating, the flow remains far below needed levels.
On Friday, Israel’s COGAT agency said over 200 trucks of aid entered Gaza in one day, far less than the UN’s daily minimum requirement of 500 trucks. COGAT also said four UN fuel tankers entered Gaza and 43 aid pallets were airdropped with help from the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan.