GAZA, June 17, 2025 (WAFA) – At least 60 Palestinians were killed and hundreds were injured, many critically, on Tuesday morning after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds waiting for humanitarian aid in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Medical sources confirmed the rising death toll and described severe overcrowding in emergency rooms, intensive care units, and operating theaters. Medical teams are reportedly struggling to treat the influx of casualties due to dangerously limited supplies of life-saving medicines and equipment.
Israeli forces also opened fire on people seeking food assistance near the al-Akwa area west of Rafah,
Since March 2, Gaza has been under total blockade, with Israel sealing all border crossings and preventing the entry of food, medicine, and fuel. The resulting humanitarian catastrophe has been described by international agencies as unprecedented.
Over recent weeks, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked aid distribution points in Rafah and central Gaza. According to United Nations officials, these actions are part of what appears to be a systematic campaign of forced displacement — a strategy that aligns with broader allegations of ethnic cleansing.
Since the implementation of a so-called aid distribution mechanism on May 27, more than 300 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access humanitarian assistance. Dozens more have been wounded.
Many of the attacks have reportedly targeted distribution sites operated by the controversial “Gaza Relief Foundation,” a joint Israeli-American organization rejected by the UN. These centers have effectively become death traps, as civilians are forced to risk their lives for basic survival, often under degrading conditions.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war on Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and widespread displacement, ignoring international calls and binding orders by the International Court of Justice.
The ongoing aggression has so far resulted in more than 184,000 casualties — dead and wounded — the majority of them children and women. Over 11,000 people remain missing under the rubble.
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