UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for an independent investigation into the deaths of dozens of Palestinians near an aid distribution site in Rafah, Gaza, following conflicting claims over the circumstances of the incident.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Monday, the UN chief expressed alarm over reports of Palestinians killed and injured while attempting to receive humanitarian assistance.
“I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday,” said Guterres. “I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable.”
The call came after reports emerged on Sunday that Israeli forces had allegedly opened fire on a crowd gathered near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre in Rafah. Witnesses claimed that tanks approached and opened fire, triggering panic among civilians who had gathered near al-Alam roundabout to collect food.
The incident has drawn international concern, though both the Israeli military and GHF have rejected the accusations.
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) denied any involvement, saying in a statement that troops “did not fire at civilians near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site,” and dismissed the reports as “false.”
The GHF — a joint US and Israel-backed initiative — also refuted the claims, describing them as “outright fabrications.” “There were no injuries, fatalities, or incidents during our operations yesterday. Period,” it said.
The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency, however, reported that 31 people were killed and 176 wounded due to Israeli gunfire in the early hours of Sunday. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) confirmed that its Rafah field hospital received 179 casualties, of which 21 were declared dead on arrival.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said its teams at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis treated several patients in critical condition, who described coming under fire from “all sides” — drones, tanks, helicopters, boats, and ground troops — while approaching the distribution site.
A local journalist told the BBC that tanks advanced toward the crowd before firing. A video shared online, reportedly from the scene, appeared to show people taking cover under automatic gunfire, though the BBC noted it could not verify the footage due to limited access and identifiable landmarks.
The IDF later released drone footage it claimed showed Hamas gunmen firing on civilians near aid convoys, but again, verification remained elusive. An Israeli military official said warning shots were fired to deter “suspects approaching troops” approximately 1km from the distribution site, insisting the incident was unrelated to the aid centre.
Speaking to the BBC, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the current model of aid delivery as “unacceptable” and “dehumanising.”
“Can you imagine people that have been absolutely desperate for food, for medicine, for almost three months — and then they have to run for it?” he said. “It shows utter disregard for civilians.”
Meanwhile, health officials and local media reported that another three Palestinians were killed on Monday by Israeli fire in Rafah’s Tal al-Sultan neighbourhood, close to the same GHF site. The Red Cross hospital received 50 wounded individuals, including two who were declared dead. A third fatality was reported by Nasser Hospital.
In a separate incident in northern Gaza’s Jabalia town, Civil Defence officials said 14 people — including six children and three women — were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building. Twenty others remain missing under the rubble. The IDF did not immediately comment but said its aircraft had targeted “dozens of terror-related sites,” including tunnels and weapons stores.
The worsening situation in Rafah comes amid an expanded Israeli ground offensive launched on 19 May, as part of what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as an operation to “take control of all areas of Gaza.” A total blockade on the enclave was imposed on 2 March, before the resumption of military action two weeks later, which ended a two-month ceasefire.
The Israeli campaign was launched in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, which left 1,200 Israelis dead and 251 taken hostage. According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 54,470 Palestinians have been killed since then, including 4,201 since the offensive resumed in March.
Israel maintains that military operations are necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages, 58 of whom are still believed to be held in Gaza. At least 20 are thought to be alive.
Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, accused media outlets of “reckless and irresponsible reporting,” claiming the only sources of the allegations were Hamas-linked. “Drone video and first-hand accounts clearly showed there were no injuries, no fatalities, no chaos,” he asserted.
Despite the denials, pressure is mounting on Israel and its allies to allow an impartial investigation. The lack of access for international media and humanitarian organisations continues to hamper independent verification of claims from both sides.
