Scenes of chaos erupted in Gaza as crowds of Palestinians, including men, women and children, flooded a U.S.-backed aid distribution center in the Al-Shakoush area west of Rafah on Wednesday to scramble for food boxes amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
On Wednesday alone, Israeli military actions killed 123 Palestinians and injured 474 others, according to an announcement.
Also on Wednesday, Israeli combatants fired at Palestinians at an aid distribution center in Gaza, killing 57 civilians and injuring 363 others.
The distribution center was set up by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a private agency backed by the United States and Israel.
Since the foundation started to distribute humanitarian aid at the end of May, 224 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks near air distribution sites, with 1,858 others injured.
Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire amid overcrowding and chaos, further escalating the dangers in a region where over 2 million people are facing a dire humanitarian situation with severe shortages of food, water and basic necessities.
"I am from Northern Gaza and I walked a distance of about 50 kilometers. First of all, people can't just enter (the aid center) directly, and we have to wait for the tanks, as they might shoot at us. After entering, the Americans force people into a system. They treat us like animals and throw things randomly through the air. Only the lucky ones can catch something. People start to fight each other, I mean for example, the American sprayed pepper spray at me, and the same for people who come close. As a result, I couldn't see for 30 minutes. It is dangerous over there, and people are getting shot at," said Mohammed Masaoud, a displaced civilian.
Others described the aid distribution as dehumanizing and even a deadly exercise, given the number of attacks which have taken place at some aid sites.
"This is the height of humiliation for us. Honestly, is it a lifeline or a death sentence, when even a morsel is soaked in blood? Blood of my friends and loved ones. Why would they ask us to come if they would shoot at us later? Is this an aid supply station or is it a death station? Thats the question," said Jamal Qeshta, a displaced civilian.
Feras Zedan, a Gazan resident who had evacuated to an area west of Khan Younis, said he walks nine kilometers daily to secure food for his children.
"We evacuated to the Japanese area (west of Khan Younis). For 12 days I have walked back and force about nine kilometers to get a living for my children. Yesterday I came and my friend Fares Abo Libda was killed when he was with me. I earn a living for him and my cousin Abo Radwan. Yesterday I almost died with them. This bag is to obtain some of food, not for me, but for their children and mine. In the morning my daughters were crying, begging me not to go, but I did for those children. Still I couldn't catch any food, As you can see, the situation is extremely dangerous, filled with bombings, tear gas, and fire," he said.
"I entered today. All the men with me were on the ground lying for an hour and a half and all the shooting around us and I was next to the men on the floor because they were shooting at us. We remain steadfast to get aid to eat, not to sell. Everyone's life is difficult and we live in suffering. We remain steadfast, till God will help us. We just want to eat, but the Americans sprayed pepper spray and women and men were left suffocating," said Mahmoud Al-Saeed, another civilian.
On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the Israeli military had continued its actions in Gaza, conducting air strikes on dozens of military targets.
The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip had risen to 55,104, with 127,394 others injured, since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, Gaza's health authorities announced on Wednesday.
Chaos erupts in Gaza as desperate Palestinians rush into US-backed aid center
