LONDON — At least 31 people were killed and more than 200 people were injured Israeli forces opened fire near an aid distribution site to the west of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
In a statement posted to X, the Israel Defense Forces said, “At this stage, there are no known casualties from IDF gunfire” within the site.
“The matter is still under investigation,” it added.
Local witnesses cited by The Associated Press suggested that the shooting occurred around 1,000 yards from the aid site, which is run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Israeli military officials said later Sunday that IDF troops “acted to prevent several suspects from approaching troops” overnight, about a kilometer away from the Rafah aid distribution site. They further said that “warning shots were fired toward several suspects who advanced toward the troops.”
Displaced Palestinians return from a food distribution center in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on June 1, 2025.
-/AFP via Getty Images
In an official statement, the IDF said it “did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site.”
A GHF spokesperson told ABC News on Sunday that “all aid was distributed today without incident” and that reports of deaths and injuries are “untrue and fabricated.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
