GAZA, June 1, 2025 (WAFA) – An Australian emergency physician volunteering in southern Gaza has described harrowing scenes after what he says was a mass shooting at an aid distribution site in Rafah on Sunday, leaving hundreds of Palestinians wounded. 

 Ahmad Abu Sweid, currently working in the emergency department at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, said the majority of casualties sustained gunshot wounds to the head and chest.

“We’ve only been here a few days, but the level of trauma I’ve witnessed is beyond anything in my experience,”  Abu Sweid told reporters. “Today we’ve seen a large number of casualties—hundreds of confirmed injuries. Many are in critical condition. Some arrived dead, shot in the head and chest.”

The Nasser Medical Complex, one of the last functioning hospitals in southern Gaza, is facing acute shortages of supplies and staff. “The facility is full,” said Abu Sweid. “We’ve only just arrived, but the local staff have been working nonstop for 200 days. They are exhausted.”

Abu Sweid stressed that all of the victims were civilians who had gathered to receive food aid when the shooting occurred.

“They were instructed to go there to receive food, but ended up being hit with live ammunition and shrapnel. Most are in critical condition. Some arrived dead, shot in the head and chest,” he said.

The incident comes amid mounting concern from humanitarian organizations and governments over the deepening crisis in Gaza, where medical infrastructure is on the brink of collapse and food insecurity has reached catastrophic levels.

Y.S