At least 21 Palestinians killed while heading to a Gaza aid hub, officials and witnesses say
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At least 25 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday as they were on their way to receive food in Gaza, according to health officials and multiple witnesses who said Israeli forces fired on crowds around a kilometre away from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.
Officials at a nearby field hospital run by the Red Cross said at least 21 people were killed and another 175 people were wounded, without saying who opened fire on them.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department, confirmed the death toll and said two women were among those killed.
An Associated Press reporter saw dozens of people being treated at the hospital.
New aid system marred by chaos
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution of aid has been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the delivery sites.
The army released a brief statement saying it was "currently unaware of injuries caused by (Israeli military) fire within the Humanitarian Aid distribution site. The matter is still under review."
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said in a statement that it delivered aid "without incident" early on Sunday and has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.
Before Sunday, at least six people had been killed and more than 50 wounded according to local health officials.
The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.
The foundation said in a statement that it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday "without incident," and dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos."
WATCH | WFP calls for immediate scale-up in food deliveries, distribution in Gaza:
UN calls for immediate increase in Gaza food aid after thousands storm warehouse
3 days ago
Duration 3:11
The UN World Food Program is calling for an immediate scale-up in food deliveries and distribution in Gaza to 'reassure people they will not starve.' The statement came as the agency reported 'hordes of hungry people' broke into one of its warehouses, and at least two people died and several more were injured.
'Fire from all directions,' say witnesses
Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn.
As they headed toward the site, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said.
When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around one kilometre away, at around 3 a.m., Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said.
"There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd.
He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women.
People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded to the field hospital.
"The scene was horrible," he said. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another eyewitness, provided a nearly identical account.
He said the military fired from about 300 metres away. Abu Saoud said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who he said had died at the scene.
"We weren't able to help him," he said.
Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and another woman as they were heading toward the distribution site.
He said his cousin was shot in his chest and died at the scene.
Many others were wounded, including his brother-in-law, he said.
"They opened heavy fire directly toward us," he said as he was waiting outside the Red Cross field hospital for word on his wounded relative.
WATCH | Gunfire heard near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution point on May 27:
Controversial U.S. company distributes aid in Gaza amid sounds of gunshots
5 days ago
Duration 1:17
Israeli, U.S.-backed aid delivery under scrutiny
The hub is part of a controversial new aid system Israel and the United States say is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance.
Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the UN denies it has occurred.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
The UN system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month.
Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly two million Palestinians.
Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in.
The war began after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants.
The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90 per cent of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.
WATCH | U.S. proposes a 60-day Gaza ceasefire, release of 28 Israeli hostages:
U.S. proposes 60-day ceasefire for Gaza that includes hostage-prisoner swap
2 days ago
Duration 1:59
The U.S. plan for Gaza, seen by Reuters on Friday, proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages, including some who are deceased, in the first week in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 Palestinians.
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Published Jun 21, 2025 • 3 minute read A Palestinian carries a bag containing food and humanitarian aid delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Photo by Abdel Kareem Hana / AP Photo WASHINGTON — A U.S.-led group has asked the Trump administration to step in with an initial $30 million so it can continue its much scrutinized and Israeli-backed aid distribution in Gaza, according to three U.S. officials and the organization's application for the money. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account That application, obtained by The Associated Press, also offers some of the first financial details about the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and its work in the territory. That includes a projection of a $150 million monthly budget once the group's current aid sites fully gear up — an amount equal to $1.8 billion a year. The foundation says it has provided millions of meals in southern Gaza since late May to Palestinians as Israel's blockade and military campaign have driven the Gaza to the brink of famine. But the effort has seen near-daily fatal shootings of Palestinians trying to reach the distribution sites. Major humanitarian groups also accuse the foundation of cooperating with Israel's objectives in the 20-month-old war against Hamas in a way that violates humanitarian principles. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The group's funding application was submitted to the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to the U.S. officials, who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The application was being processed this week as potentially one of the agency's last acts before the Republican administration absorbs USAID into the State Department as part of deep cuts in foreign assistance. Two of the officials said they were told the administration has decided to award the money. They said the processing was moving forward with little of the review and auditing normally required before Washington makes foreign assistance grants to an organization. In a letter submitted Thursday as part of the application, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation secretary Loik Henderson said his organization 'was grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to sustain and scale life-saving operations in Gaza.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Neither the State Department nor Henderson immediately responded to requests for comment Saturday. Israel says the foundation is the linchpin of a new aid system to wrest control from the United Nations, which Israel alleges has been infiltrated by Hamas, and other humanitarian groups. The foundation's use of fixed sites in southern Gaza is in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to use aid to concentrate the territory's more than 2 million people in the south, freeing Israel to fight Hamas elsewhere. Aid workers fear it's a step toward another of Netanyahu's public goals, removing Palestinians from Gaza in 'voluntary' migrations that aid groups and human rights organizations say would amount to coerced departures. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The UN and many leading nonprofit groups accuse the foundation of stepping into aid distribution with little transparency or humanitarian experience, and, crucially, without a commitment to the principles of neutrality and operational independence in war zones. Since the organization started operations, several hundred Palestinians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in near-daily shootings as they tried to reach aid sites, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Witnesses say Israeli troops regularly fire heavy barrages toward the crowds in an attempt to control them. The Israeli military has denied firing on civilians. It says it fired warning shots in several instance, and fired directly at a few 'suspects' who ignored warnings and approached its forces. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's unclear who is funding the new operation in Gaza. No donor has come forward. The State Department said this past week that the United States is not funding it. In documents supporting its application, the group said it received nearly $119 million for May operations from 'other government donors,' but gives no details. It expects $38 million from those unspecific government donors for June, in addition to the hoped-for $30 million from the United States. The application shows no funding from private philanthropy or any other source. — AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report. Columnists Columnists Toronto & GTA Toronto & GTA World
