Gaza Strip: Israeli strikes and gunfire killed 116 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, July 19, including at least 38 near food distribution centers operated by a US- and Israeli-backed organization, according to health officials and eyewitnesses.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which began operations in late May, has become a focal point in the deepening humanitarian crisis. Backed by both governments, the group bypasses the traditional UN-led aid system, which Israel and the US accuse of being exploited by Hamas—an allegation the UN denies.
According to UN figures, nearly 900 Palestinians have died in recent weeks while attempting to access humanitarian aid—most at or near GHF-run sites. Though the GHF says it has delivered millions of meals, aid distribution has frequently turned violent and chaotic.
Chaos at aid sites
On Saturday, the worst violence occurred near Khan Younis and Rafah, where thousands of desperate Palestinians gathered in the early morning. Witnesses said Israeli troops fired from a distance using tanks and drones, targeting crowds seeking food.
“It was a massacre … the occupation opened fire at us indiscriminately,” Mahmoud Mokeimar, who fled the scene but saw bodies lying on the ground, told Associated Press.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 25 bodies and over 70 wounded, many with head and chest injuries, according to Dr. Mohamed Saker, the hospital’s head of nursing. Seven more people, including a woman, were reported killed near Rafah.
The Israeli military acknowledged firing warning shots near Rafah overnight and said the incident was under investigation. The GHF claimed the shootings occurred before its sites opened, urging civilians not to approach centers outside operating hours.
Infant dies of hunger
In Gaza City, a 35-day-old infant died of malnutrition at al-Shifa Hospital, hospital director Muhammad Abu Salmiya confirmed to Al Jazeera. The death underscores the collapse of Gaza’s healthcare and food systems under blockade and ongoing bombardment.
Elsewhere, airstrikes killed two people in a tent sheltering displaced families in Gaza City. Another nine people, including five women, two children, and a local police official, were killed in central Gaza, according to medical sources.
The Israeli army said it had struck around 90 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours, aiming at what it called “terror infrastructure”, but made no comment on specific casualties.
A territory on the brink
Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel—which killed 1,200 people and led to 250 hostages—Israel’s military campaign has killed over 58,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced, and the UN warns of imminent famine.
Videos and eyewitness reports show contractors at GHF sites using tear gas, stun grenades, and gunfire to control crowds. Stampedes triggered by chaotic distributions have caused additional deaths.
West Bank: Church attack condemned
In the occupied West Bank, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited the Christian Palestinian village of al-Zababdeh, where Israeli settlers allegedly set fire to the Church of St. George on July 9.
“To commit an act of sacrilege by desecrating a place that is supposed to be a place of worship — it’s an act of terror and it’s a crime,” Huckabee said.
Settler violence in the West Bank has surged since the war began, with Palestinians and rights groups accusing Israeli authorities of failing to hold attackers accountable.
Ceasefire talks stalled
Ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, have continued in recent weeks, but diplomats report no breakthroughs. Observers warn that the intensifying humanitarian disaster threatens to derail any prospects for a lasting truce.
With inputs from Associated Press, Al Jazeera and UN data
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