Israeli forces opened fire Tuesday on thousands of displaced Palestinians gathered near a U.S.-backed aid distribution point in central Gaza, killing at least 18 and wounding dozens more, local health officials reported.
The bloodshed unfolded just one day after medics described a massacre on the final day of Eid al-Adha, Islam’s sacred holiday, that left 57 Palestinians dead.
Hospitals in Gaza, including Al-Awda in Nuseirat refugee camp and Al-Quds in Gaza City, struggled to manage the swelling tide of casualties from both deadly incidents.
The Israeli military said it is investigating Tuesday’s shootings. Just last week, it declared roads leading to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid sites as closed military zones between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., warning Palestinians to stay clear.
Since late May, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has managed food distributions under a model criticized by the United Nations as neither impartial nor neutral.
Each dawn, thousands trek hours through the rubble-strewn streets – some covering more than 20 kilometers – only to face empty hands as supplies vanish within minutes.
“I arrived at 2 a.m. hoping for food, but saw people returning empty-handed,” said Mohammad Abu Amr, 40, a father of two. “The aid runs out in five minutes. It’s heartbreaking.”
Desperation grips Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, who endure an 11-week blockade and looming famine. Though limited U.N.-led aid resumed May 19, the U.N. calls it “a drop in the ocean.” The crisis deepened this week as witnesses reported looting of at least 40 trucks carrying flour destined for U.N. warehouses near Gaza City’s coastal road.
As violence escalates, Israel’s parliament prepares for a critical vote Wednesday on a motion to dissolve the legislature, triggered by a fierce dispute over military conscription of ultra-Orthodox men.
Traditionally exempt, the ultra-Orthodox community faces a 2024 Supreme Court ruling mandating their draft – a move that has sparked a political firestorm.
Ultra-Orthodox parties, Netanyahu’s coalition partners, may back the dissolution to pressure the prime minister, though they risk fracturing the ruling bloc’s slim majority of 68 seats.
This turmoil comes as the Israeli military warns of a shrinking pool of combat-ready troops amid the Gaza war, raising the stakes of expanding conscription.
Cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas remain deadlocked this week, but senior U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios social media reports hint at progress.
Efforts are underway to soften Hamas’s position on a U.S.-backed ceasefire, though no immediate truce is expected.
These fragile diplomatic moves underscore the international urgency to end the bloodshed and alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian nightmare.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, describing its campaign as a “widespread and relentless assault” on the Palestinian people.
The commission found Israeli forces have destroyed more than 90% of Gaza’s schools and over half its religious and cultural sites – some with no military value – wreaking havoc on Gaza’s cultural identity and collective memory. Over 658,000 children have been out of school for nearly two years.
Soldiers reportedly mocked Palestinian education before demolishing schools.
Notably, Al-Azhar University and other campuses have been repurposed for military and religious uses.
The report also documented severe restrictions, violence, and settler raids affecting over 806,000 Palestinian students in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It accused Israel of profiting from appropriated heritage sites while limiting Palestinian access.
UN Commission Chair Navi Pillay called for an immediate end to Israel’s occupation, attacks, and settlement activity, and urged Palestinian authorities to protect civilian infrastructure from military use.
The report will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on June 17.
The conflict, ignited by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel, has claimed close to 55,000 Palestinian lives according to Gaza health officials.
Much of the coastal enclave lies in ruins after relentless Israeli military operations.
