IDF Probes Alleged Strike Near Gaza Aid Site as Civilian Casualty Claims Mount
At least 26 people were reportedly killed and more than 120 wounded near a humanitarian aid distribution point in Rafah on Sunday, according to Palestinian and Hamas-run media outlets. The Gaza civil defense agency blamed Israeli fire for the casualties, calling it a “massacre,” though the claim has not been independently verified. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was “unaware of injuries caused by IDF fire within the [aid] distribution site,” and that the incident remains under review.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which oversees the distribution of US-backed aid in the area, denied any disruption. “Our aid was again distributed today without incident,” the group said, accusing Hamas of spreading “untrue and fabricated” reports. The foundation reported it has distributed over 4.7 million meals in the past week, including nearly 900,000 in Tel Sultan, near the site of the alleged incident.
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Elsewhere in southern Gaza, IDF troops discovered and demolished a 700-meter-long Hamas tunnel in the Khan Yunis area. The military said the tunnel was 30 meters deep and used by armed groups. A drone strike was also carried out against three individuals seen placing explosive devices, killing them. The IDF claims it has killed dozens of fighters and dismantled more than 100 terror-related sites in the operation.
Meanwhile, Gaza media reported the death of Dr. Hamdi al-Najjar, a physician who succumbed to injuries sustained in an Israeli strike that killed nine of his children. The IDF stated that the strike targeted fighters in a combat zone that had been evacuated of civilians, and that all claims of harm to noncombatants are under review.
