At least 38 Palestinians were killed seeking food in Gaza overnight and into Wednesday. Local health workers reported that starving civilians rushed toward UN aid convoys and sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Israeli troops, according to their statement, fired warning shots to push back crowds. However, hospitals confirmed many casualties from live fire.
Alongside those deaths, 25 more people died in Israeli airstrikes, according to Gaza hospitals. Israeli officials offered no further comments. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is preparing to announce new military actions. Many suspect he may propose reoccupying Gaza, a decision that could worsen the crisis.
The Palestinians killed seeking food included 28 people who died in the Morag Corridor, a southern military zone overwhelmed by hungry civilians. Nasser Hospital staff received their bodies and treated survivors. Elsewhere, four people were killed in Teina, near a GHF facility. Another six died outside a central Gaza GHF site.
While Israeli forces said they only fired warning shots, many witnesses claim they shot directly at civilians. GHF staff added that they used pepper spray and fired into the air to control panicked crowds. However, the frequency of deaths suggests that current crowd control measures are inadequate.
The United Nations rejected the GHF model, saying it exposes civilians to danger and limits access to aid. In their view, Israel now controls who receives relief and uses the system to displace communities. Additionally, the long distances people must travel make food access unsafe and unjust.
UN data shows that over 1,400 Palestinians died while trying to reach aid since May. Most deaths occurred near GHF sites or along chaotic UN convoy routes. The UN human rights office blamed Israeli gunfire in most cases.
This week, a group of UN-appointed experts called for the shutdown of the GHF. They criticized it as a tool for geopolitical manipulation. According to them, the aid structure breaches international humanitarian law. Instead of protecting civilians, it places them in fatal danger while denying them dignity.
Israel’s blockade and military actions have crippled aid delivery systems. Although Israeli officials promised better access, the improvements have proven insufficient. Aid organizations continue to report major delays. In the last 24 hours alone, four malnutrition-related deaths occurred. That brings the total to 193 deaths, including 96 children, since October 2023.
Tensions have also spilled into the West Bank. Jordan condemned an attack on its aid trucks by Israeli settlers. The settlers hurled stones at four vehicles, breaking windshields and blocking the road. Israeli forces eventually cleared the area and escorted the trucks to safety.
This growing disaster began on October 7, when Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 251 others. Although some hostages have returned, about 20 are still held in Gaza.
In response, Israel launched its current offensive. The Gaza Health Ministry reports more than 61,000 deaths, many of them women and children. Though it operates under Hamas, the ministry includes trained doctors. The UN and global observers rely on it as the most consistent source of wartime casualty data.
The deaths of Palestinians killed seeking food reveal the harsh reality of Gaza’s worsening hunger crisis. With aid routes collapsing and tensions rising, civilians find themselves trapped in danger zones. Until parties address both access and safety, these tragedies will only continue.
