Israeli army kills 3 Palestinians heading to aid distribution point in Rafah

By Ahmed Asmar

The Israeli army on Monday morning killed three more Palestinians heading to receive aid from an Israeli-American-established aid distribution site in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.

A medical source told Anadolu that three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while on their way to receive aid from an American aid distribution site in western Rafah city.

The source added that dozens of Palestinians were also injured by the Israeli fire near the aid distribution site.

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued to blow up homes and buildings in eastern Gaza City, northern Gaza, and the eastern Khan Younis areas in the southern Gaza Strip, according to witnesses.

On May 27, Israel launched a controversial aid distribution mechanism, backed by the US administration, through an American group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The mechanism was opposed by the international community and the UN, which comes as an alternative attempt by Israel to bypass the aid distribution through UN channels.

According to Gaza’s government media office, at least 49 Palestinians have been killed and over 305 others injured by Israeli fire near aid distribution points in Gaza since the start of Israel’s aid distribution mechanism on May 27.

Since March 2, Israel has kept all border crossings shut, cutting off the entry of food, medicine, fuel, and other essential supplies for Gaza’s 2.4 million residents.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a devastating offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million population.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.