CNN
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At least 51 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in an Israeli fire as they waited for aid trucks to arrive at Khan Eunice in southern Gaza early Tuesday morning, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The incident marks the most reported number of people killed during their last few weeks in Enclave while seeking assistance. In total, nearly 400 Palestinians have been killed near the aid centre as Israel lifted its 11-week total lockdown in Gaza and obtained drops of aid.
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) said in a statement Tuesday that “a rally was identified in proximity to IDF troops operating in the area, adjacent to the area’s aid distribution trucks trapped in the Khan Yunis region.”
The IDF said “we are aware of reports of many individuals injured from the IDF fire following the crowd’s approach,” saying “details of the incident are under review” and “remorse to individuals not involved and are undergoing surgery to minimize harm to them while maintaining the safety of the military.”
Witness Mohammed Abu Abed said a group of people had been hit by air strikes. He told CNN: “We were waiting for a flour truck. Suddenly we were among the people and we were hit by two missiles that tore people’s bodies.
“They took bread for the kids and brought only bread and flour. They killed us with cold blood,” Abu Abed said.
Video of Karn Yunis’ scene on Tuesday shows dozens of bodies lying on blood-covered ground.
The latest scenes of death, violence and despair highlight the harsh presence of more than 2.1 million people living in Gaza.
Humanitarian organisations say aid that is now entering the enclave is only a small part of what is needed as the contentious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) (the major supplier of Gaza aid) has been undergoing global scrutiny since opening its distribution point later last month.
According to the Ministry of Health, Palestinians on their way to the GHF distribution site have been repeatedly fired since its inception, with around 3,000 people injured in addition to the deaths. Eight people were also killed on Tuesday after coming under an Israeli fire near aid distribution site in western Rafa, the ministry said.
CNN contacted the IDF for comment.
The Israeli US-backed private contractor, GHF, has been criticized by several international aid agencies for establishing distribution centres within an active combat zone. The organization has repeatedly said there was no violence on their site. However, the GHF confirmed earlier this month that Palestinian casualties were found in the surrounding area. This was described by the organization as “a lot beyond our secure distribution sites.” The spokesman introduced further questions to the Israeli military.
On Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in X:
One of the people killed at Khan Eunice on Tuesday was a 20-year-old man who traveled there in the hopes of bringing food back for his family.
With tears in her eyes, his mother said: “He didn’t go to the picnic. He brought food for his brother and father.”
At a nearby Nasser Medical Complex, hospital staff said the entire ward was crowded with casualties. Hospital video shows dozens of people arrived wounded and others in the hospital were waiting for treatment as they were placed on the floor.
A doctor in an intensive care unit told medical assistance to the UK-based aid organization, Palestinians (MAP), that the hospital received on Tuesday “injured and killed by a target at the aid distribution point of Israeli Army Khan Yunis.”
“The situation here is beyond imagination and devastating,” the doctor said, adding that the morgue was completely full and additional bodies were placed outside the building.
“We’re trying our best, but the numbers are overwhelming,” he said.
CNN’s Oren Liebermann will donate the report.
