Israeli Airstrikes Kill 5 in Double Strike on Aid Security Teams in Gaza

In one of the deadliest incidents involving humanitarian workers since the start of the war, Israeli surveillance aircraft on Wednesday struck two separate aid security teams operating in northern Gaza. The first attack hit the Saftawy area north of Gaza City, killing multiple team members and wounding others as they waited for trucks to enter via the Zikim crossing. Eyewitnesses described thick smoke, screams, and bodies scattered in the street.

Minutes later, another aid security group in Karama, northwest of Gaza City, was targeted near the Andalus Tower, far from front-line combat zones. According to Gaza’s emergency services head Faris Afanah, four bodies and six wounded were recovered from Saftawy, while Karama’s strike claimed one confirmed fatality and several injuries. Civilians rushed additional victims to medical facilities in private vehicles.

The aid security teams—often organized by local families and clans—are critical in ensuring scarce relief supplies reach warehouses for distribution. Israel has repeatedly targeted such groups, whether linked to Hamas police or independent community initiatives, over the nearly two-year conflict. These attacks have worsened Gaza’s humanitarian crisis, with aid disruptions fueling looting and increasing deaths from malnutrition, particularly among children.