By Anifowoshe Oladipupo
At least 51 Palestinians were killed and over 200 others injured on Tuesday after Israeli tank shellfire struck a crowd waiting for aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry.
Medical sources reported that more than 20 of the wounded were in critical condition.
The Israeli military has yet to issue a statement on the incident.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli tanks fired at least two shells into a large group of people gathered to receive humanitarian assistance.
At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, overwhelmed medical workers were forced to treat victims on the floor and in corridors due to overcrowded wards.
This incident is the latest in a series of deadly strikes on civilians seeking aid in Gaza.
On Monday, local health officials reported that 23 people were shot dead near a distribution site operated by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in Rafah.
The GHF, in a statement, said it had distributed over three million meals across four sites without prior incident. There has been no comment from the Israeli military regarding Monday’s shooting.
In past events, the military has acknowledged firing near aid locations, often blaming Hamas militants for triggering the violence.
Israel has assigned much of the aid distribution in Gaza to the GHF, which operates under the protection of Israeli forces.
However, the United Nations has criticized the plan as inadequate and dangerous, arguing it violates core principles of humanitarian neutrality and impartiality.
The current conflict erupted in October 2023, following a surprise attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in the abduction of roughly 250 hostages, according to Israeli sources.
In retaliation, Israel launched a large-scale military campaign that has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, displaced almost the entire population of Gaza, and deepened an already dire hunger crisis, the Gaza health ministry reports.
The war has drawn international condemnation, including accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and war crimes at the International Criminal Court allegations Israel strongly denies.
