It reportedly supported the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) food aid distribution site in southwestern Gaza, and reportedly featured competing stories.
An explanation from local Hamas-run authorities said witnesses and medical experts shot and killed troops from the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) that shot and killed many Palestinians who were trying to access the GHF site recently.
Shoots have been reported near all three GHF hubs in southern Gaza, but the heaviest ones occurred on Sunday and Tuesday at the flagland area.
The United Nations is calling for an independent investigation of the case, reminding Israel that it is necessary to promote humanitarian aid under international law.
Euroverify looks at the facts to build a timeline of what we know.
31 reported casualties on Sunday
Authorities run by local Hamas said 31 Palestinians were reportedly killed in IDF shots on Sunday.
To reach the GHF site in Rafa, Palestinians must walk kilometres along the designated route. The GHF says the Israeli military will keep it safe. In a public statement, the GHF warns people to stay on the road, saying leaving it “represents a great danger.”
Before dawn on Sunday, thousands of Palestinians gathered on a flag detour, part of a designated access route about 1 km northwest of GHF distribution hub in Rafa’s Teral Sultan area.
By 3am, thousands had gathered, and it was around this time that Israeli forces began firing at crowds with guns, tanks and drones, according to Palestinian witnesses.
Ngo Mé decins Sans Frontières says a patient who said he was shot dead by Israeli forces at the GHF distribution site began flowing to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Sunday morning.
The individual said he was shot dead by Israeli forces near the GHF distribution site.
Another international organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), declared on Sunday that 179 adults and children with rap shotgun bullets and gunshot wounds had arrived at the Rafa organization’s field hospital. The medical team declared 21 people dead upon arrival, according to the ICRC.
Israel denied allegations that the troops fired fired on local people for assistance in Rafa.
In a post shared on X, the IDF branded such a report as “False,” saying that initial investigations found that the force “did not fire civilians while near or inside the humanitarian distribution site.”
GHF told Euroverify that it would not occur near the area around the distribution site on Sunday, adding that it was “no injuries or deaths.”
27 people reported deaths Tuesday
On Tuesday, Gaza’s health ministry said Israeli forces had shot and killed at least 27 people near the GHF distribution centre.
The civilians were fired by tanks, drones and helicopters near the flag roundabout near the distribution hub.
Israel denied that such an incident occurred, claiming it deviated from the designated access route to the GHF centre, simply firing warning shots of those suspected.
“The army issued a warning and additional shots were overseen near the individual suspects who advanced towards the army after the suspects did not retreat,” the IDF said in a post in X.
It added that it is aware of the reported victims and is investigating the incident.
“The IDF forces have not prevented Gazan civilians from arriving at the humanitarian aid distribution site,” the IDF said. “The warning shots were fired about half a mile from the humanitarian distribution site and at several of the suspects who advanced towards the army in a way that poses a threat to them.”
The GHF itself said the food distribution was carried out without issue within its boundaries and is aware of Israeli investigations of reported injured civilians.
Distribution pause
On Wednesday, the GHF said it had suspended the distribution of aid and discussed measures to improve civilian safety with the Israeli military, including changes to traffic management and military training.
The bodies began distributing aid on May 26th. With the assistance of Gaza, Israel’s three-month lockdown has pushed the population upwards of hunger by over 2 million people.
The GHF system limits food distribution to hubs protected by armed contractors. Of the three open hubs, one is in central Gaza and two are on the outskirts of the southern city of Rafa, almost uninhabited.
Israel’s ban on international media access to Gaza means journalists must take part in the territory by taking an organized Army reporting tour — fueling online speculation and being independent in ground verification is a major challenge.
