Israeli Forces Kill 51 Palestinians Waiting Aid Trucks Gaza Strip

At least 51 Palestinians were killed and over 200 wounded in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, when Israeli forces conducted an air strike on a nearby home and then opened fire on crowds waiting for humanitarian aid trucks, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and eyewitnesses. Witnesses described a massacre where Israeli soldiers continued firing even as people fled, with some reports of tank shelling and heavy gunfire. The aid trucks were part of a new US and Israeli-backed distribution network, which has faced widespread rejection by UN agencies and international aid groups over concerns that it violates humanitarian principles and allows Israel to control access to aid. Israel defends the system as necessary to prevent Hamas from diverting aid for militant purposes, though UN experts warn of mounting famine and severe shortages affecting millions, including vulnerable children. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation operates the distribution centers, but aid deliveries remain limited, and violence near these sites has been frequent, causing mass casualties and overwhelming local hospitals. The Israeli military has occasionally acknowledged firing warning shots, blaming suspicious behavior, but has not commented on the latest deadly incident.