Witnesses and health officials reported that Israeli forces fired indiscriminately into the crowd, echoing previous attacks on similar aid convoys. The Government Media Office denounced the shelling as a violation of humanitarian law, stating: “This bloody massacre, and previous similar crimes, once again confirm that the occupation is using hunger as a weapon of war.”

Israeli soldiers had previously admitted—according to a Haaretz report—to receiving orders to deliberately shoot unarmed civilians waiting for aid. Correspondents on the ground, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, said these attacks occur daily at key delivery points near the Zikim crossing, despite international outcry and severe humanitarian needs.

Starvation Deepens As Aid Falls Short

In addition to the fatalities from the attack, Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that two children died from malnutrition within the same 24-hour period, raising the starvation-related death toll to 159. Of these, 90 are children. Aid officials say Gaza requires at least 600 relief trucks daily to meet basic survival needs, but only 112 trucks entered on the day of the massacre—most of which were reportedly looted amid a breakdown of civil order.

Humanitarian officials blamed the looting on “security chaos” fostered by Israel’s policies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously acknowledged that Israel is arming gangs within Gaza, some of whom aid organizations accuse of hijacking aid deliveries.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently warned that 88% of Gaza is now uninhabitable or under displacement orders, declaring there is “simply nowhere safe to go.”