Attack near Gaza aid delivery point killed more than 50 people, CBS News has learned, as Israel denies involvement
More than 50 people were killed and scores were wounded on Sunday after an attack near a food aid distribution center in the Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry and multiple witnesses. The Israeli military denied claims that its soldiers were involved.
The people were on their way to receive food when they were fired at around 1,000 yards from an aid site in Rafah run by an Israel-backed foundation, witnesses told the Associated Press.
"There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones," said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd.
He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded to the field hospital. "The scene was horrible," he said.
At least 51 people were killed and more than 170 were wounded, CBS News has learned.
Israel's military said in a statement that its forces did not fire at civilians near or within the site, citing an initial inquiry.
The IDF also says Hamas is hoarding food aid for itself and its families in the Gaza Strip, saying, "Hamas does everything in its power to undermine food distribution efforts in the Gaza Strip."
The U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in a statement that it delivered aid 16 truckloads of aid "without incident" early on Sunday and dismissed what it referred to as "false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos" around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent access is limited.
Before Sunday, the GHF distribution of aid had been marred by chaos, and multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near delivery sites, the AP reported.
The foundation says the private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on the crowds, while the Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.
Israel and the United States say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided any evidence of systematic diversion, and the United Nations denies it has occurred.
U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory.
The U.N. system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its total blockade of the territory last month. Those groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in.
Ceasefire talks falter
Sunday's incident happened as Israel and Hamas traded blame for the faltering mediation bid to secure a temporary ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas said Saturday it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, but President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East rejected the group's response as "totally unacceptable."
"Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week," the office of Steve Witkoff said in a statement.
Basem Naim, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said in a statement that Hamas did not reject Witkoff's proposal.
"Nevertheless, we now responded positively and responsibly in a manner that fulfilled the minimum of demands and aspirations of our people," Naim said in a statement. "Why, each time, is the Israeli response considered the only response for negotiation? This violates the integrity and fairness of mediation and constitutes a complete bias towards the other side."
The Israeli government has agreed to the proposal outlined by the U.S.
The war began when Hamas-led terrorists stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas of the territory, displaced around 90% of its population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid.
