By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

In southern Gaza, a new massacre unfolds near a humanitarian site as Israel blocks aid and opens fire on starving civilians.

A new massacre was carried out by the Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip early Sunday morning. According to Al-Jazeera, Israeli forces opened fire on crowds near a US-operated aid site west of Rafah, killing at least 30 Palestinians and injuring 120 others.

The Government Media Office in Gaza confirmed the attack, reporting at least 26 killed and over 115 wounded at the same location. 

The office accused Israel of targeting civilians gathered at humanitarian aid distribution points, calling the incident further evidence of a deliberate policy of genocide through starvation.

In a statement, the media office said the death toll from similar attacks on aid distribution sites has now reached 39, with more than 220 injured in less than a week.

The statement condemned Israel’s transformation of aid centers into “death traps,” asserting that humanitarian aid is being weaponized to manipulate and kill desperate civilians. It held both the Israeli occupation and the United States fully responsible for the massacres committed under the false pretense of humanitarian assistance.

WATCH | Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians gathering at the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid point. Witnesses say they were met with bullets and tank shells. Medical sources report over 35 killed and 150 injured. pic.twitter.com/8TeB5ufh9M

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 1, 2025

The office urged the United Nations and the Security Council to uphold their legal responsibilities by immediately opening all crossings without restrictions and demanded the urgent formation of an independent international committee to investigate these crimes.

According to Al-Jazeera, the massacre is still ongoing, with Israeli forces continuing to fire on civilians heading to aid centers. 

Israeli authorities reportedly lured starving Palestinians by announcing that food parcels would be distributed at 6:00 AM, only to open fire on those who arrived.

Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that most victims were shot in the head and upper body, and that people were using whatever limited means they had to evacuate the wounded. 

15 of the injured are in critical condition. The aid in question, he said, consists of small food parcels that may not sustain a single family for more than three days.

Health System Collapsing

Dr. Adi Dabour, head of the medical team at the Relief Society in Gaza, confirmed that hospitals had received at least 30 dead so far. He warned that the Strip’s already crippled healthcare system is overwhelmed and lacking essential supplies.

“The occupation has turned these aid centers into killing zones,” he said.

Palestinians prayed this morning over the victims of yet another Israeli massacre in Rafah.

At least 30 civilians were killed and over 120 wounded when Israeli forces opened fire on massive crowds waiting for aid outside a US distribution center. pic.twitter.com/FaT0CEhRWp

— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 1, 2025

The Government Media Office emphasized that Israel is deliberately starving Gaza’s population in what the United Nations has warned could be a precursor to forced displacement. Israel has kept humanitarian crossings closed for 90 consecutive days, leaving Gaza’s 2.4 million residents on the brink of famine.

On May 27, Tel Aviv launched a controversial aid distribution plan outside of UN oversight, relying instead on the so-called Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation—a body supported by both Israel and the United States but rejected by the UN. 

Aid is being distributed in militarized “buffer zones” in southern Gaza, where access is restricted and conditions are volatile.

The quantities distributed are meager, failing to meet the basic needs of hundreds of thousands of starving people. The chaos and desperation have repeatedly resulted in deadly confrontations, with Israeli forces opening fire on crowds.

With full American backing, Israel has continued its genocidal campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023. 

According to official figures from Gaza, more than 178,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded—most of them women and children. Over 14,000 people remain missing, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced from their homes.

(PC, AJA)