Gaza – SABA:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that 27 Palestinians were martyred early Tuesday due to gunfire near an aid distribution center west of Rafah city in southern Gaza Strip, in an incident that sparked widespread international condemnation and calls for an independent investigation.
Earlier in the day, Palestinian sources reported that 27 people were killed and more than 90 others injured as a result of Israeli occupation forces shelling and opening fire on thousands heading to the aid center west of Rafah.
In a statement, the ICRC said its field hospital in Rafah received 184 wounded individuals, 19 of whom were declared dead upon arrival, while 8 others later succumbed to their injuries. The committee noted that “most of the injuries were gunshot wounds.”
It described the incident as “the deadliest in terms of casualties since the hospital was established over a year ago,” stressing that the number of victims far exceeded the hospital’s 60-bed capacity.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, said the massacre targeted citizens waiting for American aid near the Al-Alam roundabout in the Al-Mawasi area west of Rafah, adding that more than 90 people were injured in the attack.
On the international front, UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the incident, calling it “unacceptable.” His spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said: “Civilians should not lose their lives simply because they are trying to get food,” reiterating the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate and independent investigation and for those responsible to be held accountable.
This deadly incident comes amid catastrophic humanitarian conditions in Gaza, where the population faces severe shortages of food, water, and medicine after nearly twenty months of an ongoing genocide, and where humanitarian aid delivery remains an immense challenge.
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