Gaza’s war on survival deepened on Wednesday morning when Israeli forces fired toxic gas at hundreds of Palestinians gathered for food in Rafah, killing at least 20 civilians, most of them children, and leaving dozens gasping for air in makeshift clinics with no supplies.

The attack took place near an American-run aid distribution centre on Al-Teenah Street, where thousands of desperate residents had queued, hoping to receive food parcels. Instead, they inhaled a cloud of poison. Witnesses described scenes of chaos and horror, accusing American soldiers stationed at the gates of sealing off the area before the gas was deployed.

As the stench of gas filled the air, panic spread. Women collapsed clutching infants, children screamed for help, and many never made it out. Emergency responders scrambled to reach the victims, but Gaza’s decimated health system could offer little more than blankets and prayers.

This is not the first time these so-called aid centres have turned into death zones. According to local authorities, over 800 people have now died in or near these sites, their search for food met with bullets and now, gas. These incidents form part of a broader pattern in what Palestinians call a deliberate campaign of extermination cloaked in the language of “security” and “aid”.

Nearly two years into this war, Gaza is bleeding without pause. The siege tightens, the bombs fall, and now even breadlines have become execution sites. And still, the world watches in silence.