IDF probes claims of civilian deaths near Gaza aid site

The military said it identified several suspects approaching its forces during an operational mission in Rafah. “IDF troops operated in order to prevent the suspects from approaching them, called for them to distance themselves,” the IDF said in a statement. “After they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots.” The statement noted that the incident occurred about a kilometer from the aid site, which was inactive at the time. The military said it was reviewing the incident.

Gaza resident Mohammed al-Khalidi told Reuters he was in the group approaching the site and heard no warnings before the firing began. "We thought they came out to organize us so we can get aid, suddenly (I) saw the jeeps coming from one side, and the tanks from the other and started shooting at us," he said.

The Gaza Humanitarian Fund, a U.S.-backed group that runs the aid site, said there were no incidents or fatalities there on Saturday and that it has repeatedly warned people not to travel to its distribution points at dark.

"The reported IDF activity resulting in fatalities occurred hours before our sites opened and our understanding is most of the casualties occurred several kilometres away from the nearest GHF site," it said.

Israel is facing growing international criticism over repeated incidents near humanitarian aid distribution points in Gaza. This week, the United Nations released figures indicating that at least 875 people have been killed over the past six weeks in the vicinity of aid sites in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, most fatalities occurred near locations coordinated by the IDF.

IDF military officials have acknowledged that the establishment of these aid distribution centers was rushed and that troops assigned to secure them are often tasked with managing large, chaotic crowds. Soldiers have resorted to firing warning shots to disperse people, but have also hit Palestinians attempting to collect food. The consequences have been dire: hundreds of hungry Palestinians killed by IDF fire in the past month, disturbing video footage shared widely around the world and a mission that is not technically a combat operation—but one that has nonetheless fallen to combat units.

One recent incident has reignited internal debate within the IDF about the appropriateness of using artillery shells, considered statistically imprecise, against crowded areas like Gaza.

Last month, IDF troops identified a supply truck, brought into Gaza by Israel, as stuck along the Morag Corridor in the Khan Younis area, near an IDF post. According to the investigation, hundreds of Palestinians swarmed the truck in an attempt to seize its cargo. Soldiers initially fired near the crowd in an effort to prevent looted food supplies from ending up in Hamas hands, a scenario the IDF says has played out repeatedly in northern Gaza.

“But after about a day, masses returned to the truck like a swarm of flies,” one IDF commander said. “This time, we had no choice but to fire an artillery warning shot, guided by forces monitoring the truck.” However, due to a professional error, the limited number of shells fired landed in the wrong location, killing dozens of unarmed Palestinians.

The IDF disputes the reported casualty figures, saying the numbers are exaggerated, but acknowledges that the incident was a mistake