Four Palestinians were killed yesterday after hundreds stormed a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in central Gaza, desperate for food. Hospital officials said two people were crushed in the stampede, while two others died from gunshot wounds. It remains unclear who fired the shots, though the chaos followed days of mounting tension over the controversial new aid distribution model operating in the territory.
The deadly rush came less than 24 hours after another incident at an aid hub in Rafah, where a crowd overwhelmed fences around a food distribution site managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a private initiative established by the US and Israel. At least one Palestinian was killed and 48 others injured in that incident, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. A Red Cross field hospital confirmed the wounded, many of them women and children, had sustained gunshot wounds.
Israeli forces opened fire after fences collapsed and thousands surged into the compound. An Israeli military helicopter was seen firing flares, while bursts of gunfire rang out. Footage showed panicked civilians—some carrying children—fleeing the scene as a cloud of dust rose from the scrambling. In one video, starving Palestinians clutching food boxes bolted from the site; others carried pieces of collapsed fencing or food items on donkey carts.
The Israeli military denied firing live rounds, stating that only warning shots were used outside the compound to “control the situation.” However, the UN’s human rights office and multiple witnesses have cast doubt on this claim. Adjith Sunghay, head of the UN Human Rights Office for the Palestinian territories, said the Rafah casualties appeared to be caused by Israeli gunfire.
GHF was created as an alternative aid distribution model outside the UN framework, and employs US security contractors. The US and Israeli governments say the foundation was designed to prevent aid from being diverted by Hamas. Critics, including UN agencies and humanitarian leaders, have condemned GHF as both “unethical” and "unworkable."
"We warned against the militarised and politicised aid hubs that today ended in chaos and aid stolen and diverted from families in need," said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. "This fiasco could have been averted if our normal humanitarian system had not been blocked for months by Israel."
The WFP said it had repeatedly warned of worsening conditions on the ground and called for an immediate augmentation of food assistance to prevent further deterioration. "Gaza needs an immediate scale-up of food assistance," the agency said. "This is the only way to reassure people that they will not starve."
The GHF said it planned to supply food to a million Palestinians—nearly half of Gaza’s population—by the end of the week, but its credibility was shaken after its director, Jake Wood, resigned just one day before full operations were set to begin. Wood cited concerns over humanitarian neutrality and called on Israel to allow greater access to UN and independent aid providers.
Meanwhile, Israel’s continued ground offensive—dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots”—has displaced more than 6.3 lakh people in recent weeks. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel would now allow a “basic” amount of food into Gaza, though this came alongside intensified military operations and further restrictions.
UN officials warned that such steps fall far short of meeting humanitarian needs. Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, said the new distribution model "cannot possibly meet Gaza’s needs" and was being "deliberately obstructed by political decisions."
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), was more blunt: "We already have an aid distribution system that is fit for purpose. The humanitarian community in Gaza, including UNRWA, is ready. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking towards famine."
As Gazans face starvation, international aid workers continue to plead for unimpeded access. In the words of one UN envoy, the trickle of aid being allowed in is "like a lifeboat after the ship has sunk."