Aid as a Death Trap: Israel Accused of Massacre at Gaza Food Distribution Site
At least 31 Palestinians killed and 200 injured as Israeli forces surround and fire on civilians seeking aid in Rafah, exposing the deadly failure of the U.S.-Israeli aid mechanism.
Watan-In what rights groups and eyewitnesses say proves Israel is turning aid distribution sites into “killing traps” for starving Palestinians, Israeli forces on Sunday committed a new massacre targeting civilians waiting for food parcels in western Rafah, Gaza. At least 31 people were killed and 200 wounded after troops blocked and fired on the crowd in a narrow area.
The incident further exposed the failure of the U.S.-Israeli aid delivery mechanism, according to UN officials, while humanitarian organizations and local witnesses accused armed personnel affiliated with a U.S. security company of opening fire on aid seekers.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, called the situation a “deadly trap”, stating: “Aid delivery in Gaza must be safe, large-scale, and exclusively coordinated through the United Nations.”
Gaza aid massacre
European Leaders Condemn Gaza Massacre, Call for Tougher Measures Against Israel
The massacre triggered growing outrage in Europe. Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares declared that the war in Gaza now serves no purpose but to “turn the territory into a mass grave”, and called for the suspension of the EU-Israel partnership agreement over ongoing human rights violations.
UK Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, commented that reports of civilian deaths near the aid center in Rafah reinforce the urgent need for humanitarian access, adding:“Israel must allow international partners to deliver life-saving aid in Gaza.”
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot, in an interview with Al Jazeera, said:“I don’t know what more we need to witness—displacement, violations—to raise alarms over what is unfolding in Gaza.”
He announced Belgium would “escalate its tone” with Israel, holding it responsible for a man-made famine in Gaza.
Rafah aid massacreMedical Workers Denounce Rafah Attack as Massacre, Aid Plan Labeled Part of Ethnic Cleansing Strategy
British surgeon Victoria Rose, working in Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, described the aftermath of the Rafah attack as resulting from a “true massacre”, having treated dozens of severely wounded civilians.
Meanwhile, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) condemned the aid distribution rollout as a “catastrophic failure,” calling the U.S.-Israeli plan unworkable and a tool of forced displacement. The organization warned the aid scheme appears to be part of a broader “ethnic cleansing strategy” in Gaza.
The incident adds to mounting calls for international oversight, immediate ceasefire, and independent investigations into what increasingly appears to be systematic targeting of civilians under the guise of humanitarian relief.
