A months-long investigation by The Guardian has revealed evidence that Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on starving Palestinians waiting for food aid in Gaza. Reviewing over 30 videos, medical records, and bullet forensics, the report identified at least 11 separate days when machine-gun fire erupted near queues at distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Since May 27, UN figures show at least 1,373 Palestinians killed while seeking food , 859 of them near aid points and 514 along convoy routes.

Doctors and weapons experts described the shootings as “reckless” and “without tactical justification.” Bullets removed from victims matched 7.62×51 mm NATO and .50 caliber rounds used by Israeli forces. Nasser Hospital staff reported treating repeated clusters of patients with identical gunshot wounds to the head, neck, or limbs, while the ICRC’s Rafah field hospital recorded over 2,200 injuries from 21 mass-casualty incidents in just one month. Witnesses said gunfire intensified in mid-June, leaving hundreds wounded as crowds clutched bags of flour under floodlights.

Legal experts say the attacks amount to grave breaches of the Fourth Geneva Convention and potential war crimes. Some Israeli soldiers and U.S. contractors allegedly received direct orders to fire on civilians during aid distributions. Oxfam’s Bushra Khalidi condemned the situation as “a deadly scheme, not a humanitarian system,” underscoring international obligations to ensure aid is delivered without putting civilians in further danger.