At least 15 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli tank shelling and gunfire near an aid distribution centre in Rafah in southern Gaza, according to medics and local residents.
Mohammed Ghareeb, a local journalist in Rafah, told the BBC that thousands of Palestinians had gathered near a US-funded humanitarian aid distribution centre when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire on the crowd.
Local journalists and activists shared harrowing footage of bodies and wounded individuals being transported on donkey carts to a Red Cross field hospital in the al-Mawasi area of Rafah, as rescue teams were reportedly unable to reach the scene.
The BBC has contacted the IDF for a response.
Mr Ghareeb said the crowd of Palestinians had gathered near Al-Alam roundabout around 04:30 local time (02:30 BST), close to the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, shortly before Israeli tanks appeared and opened fire.
“The dead and wounded lay on the ground for a long time,” Mr Ghareeb said.
“Rescue crews could not access the area, which is under Israeli control. This forced residents to use donkey carts to transport victims to the field hospital.”
A doctor at the Red Cross field hospital told reporters that 15 bodies and 50 injured people had arrived at the facility.
Efforts were under way to transfer the casualties to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis for further treatment, the doctor added.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told the AFP news agency the number wounded stood at more than 100, saying: “At least 10 Palestinians were killed and more than 100 others… were wounded due to gunfire from Israeli vehicles towards thousands of citizens”.
The incident underscores the dire humanitarian conditions in Rafah, where recent Israeli military operations have severely limited access to aid and emergency services.
On Saturday, crowds of civilians rushed aid trucks in Gaza, the World Food Programme has said, as hunger and desperation create chaotic scenes.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is a new US and Israel-backed organisation that has been distributing food at designated sites across Gaza. Israel set up the plan after accusing Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.
The GHF said it distributed two million meals this week, which the BBC has not been able to independently verify.
(BBC)
