A recent incident near the Aid Distribution Centre in Southern Rafah resulted in a significant number of casualties, with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reporting 21 people dead on arrival at the Red Crossfield Hospital, among 179 individuals suffering gunshot wounds, including women and children. The Hamaslan Civil Defense Agency reported at least 31 fatalities, while the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed their troops were not firing during the incident. They released drone footage allegedly showing an armed individual attacking civilians, but the BBC could not verify this.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, managing the aid center, denied the incident’s reports, attributing them to Hamas. Ground conditions remain unclear, with hospitals receiving an influx of patients suffering severe injuries. Eyewitnesses reported that civilians were shot while trying to access the aid site, as rescue efforts were hampered by the Israeli military’s presence. The humanitarian situation in Rafah is dire, exacerbated by recent Israeli military actions limiting aid access.
This incident comes amid a large-scale military response by Israel to Hamas, which began after a cross-border attack on October 7, leading to extensive casualties and reports of increasing hardship in Gaza.
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