At least six Palestinian aid security personnel were killed in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, after Israeli warplanes launched a series of strikes on a humanitarian aid convoy. The victims had been tasked with protecting the delivery of food and medical supplies when they were targeted. Ambulances rushing to the scene were also struck, compounding the tragedy and raising fresh alarms about the safety of humanitarian operations in Gaza.

The massacre unfolded during an armed attack on aid trucks, where security personnel intervened to prevent looting. Israeli aircraft then bombed the scene, killing the team assigned to protect the convoy. Among the martyrs were Moayad Issa Baraka, Jaber Hassan Baraka, Wissam Khalil Abu Samra (a former prisoner), Mahmoud Nassar, and Mahmoud Mohammed Hammouda.

Eyewitnesses reported that after the initial attack, Israeli forces carried out more than eight consecutive airstrikes in the surrounding area, targeting civilians and first responders. The escalation has once again demonstrated the increasing dangers facing those involved in delivering life-saving aid across Gaza.

Calls have intensified for the international community to ensure the protection of humanitarian convoys. Local authorities have urged families and civil society organisations to help safeguard aid trucks, stressing that attacks—whether by looters or occupying forces—are obstructing relief to a starving population. There is growing consensus that international intervention is urgently needed to uphold the basic principles of humanitarian law and stop the systematic assault on Gaza’s already crippled lifelines.