At least 32 Palestinians were killed Saturday after Israeli troops opened fire on crowds of hungry civilians desperately trying to reach food distribution centers in southern Gaza, according to witnesses and hospital officials.
The centers, run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) — an organization backed by both the U.S. and Israeli governments — have become scenes of chaos, desperation, and deadly violence.
Eyewitnesses described horrifying scenes near the Teina area east of Khan Younis, where large groups of mostly young men had gathered early in the morning, hoping to secure basic supplies. Instead, they were met with machine gun fire from Israeli tanks and drones positioned at a distance.
“It was a massacre,” said Mahmoud Mokeimar, who was among the crowd. “They opened fire indiscriminately.” He said he saw bodies fall around him as people ran for their lives.
Another man, Akram Aker, described being surrounded by military vehicles before the shooting erupted between 5 and 6 a.m. “They didn’t even warn us properly. They just started firing,” he said.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis confirmed it had received at least 25 dead and dozens more injured. In a separate incident near Rafah, seven more were killed, including one woman, as reported by Gaza’s health ministry.
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