41 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strikes in Gaza as Aid Death Toll Surpasses 500
At least 41 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday, as the death toll at US-Israeli aid distribution centers in Gaza rose to 516, drawing sharp condemnation from the UN and rights groups.
At least 41 Palestinians, including six aid workers, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn on Wednesday, according to medical sources.
The ongoing bombardment has targeted displaced persons’ shelters, residential homes, and civilians waiting for humanitarian aid, deepening what international observers are now calling a deliberately engineered catastrophe.
In one of the deadliest incidents, Israeli warplanes struck tents sheltering displaced families in the Shawa station area of the Sheja’iyya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
Al-Aqsa TV reported multiple casualties in the attack. Separately, an Israeli airstrike on Mansoura Street in the same neighborhood killed three Palestinians, according to Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital sources.
Further south, a house in the Mufti area, north of the Nuseirat refugee camp, was hit in an airstrike that left several injured. Another airstrike on a home near Al-Salam Mosque in Deir al-Balah killed five people, including children.
A heartbreaking farewell to a young girl killed by Israeli forces north of Nuseirat camp in central Gaza. pic.twitter.com/xXUduZdTUQ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 25, 2025
Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified attacks on civilians gathering at aid distribution points. Palestinian media reported that five people were killed and others wounded when occupation forces opened fire on those waiting for food aid on Salah al-Din Street, south of the Wadi Gaza area.
In a separate incident early Wednesday, nine civilians were killed near the Netzarim corridor, a site that has become infamous for repeated massacres targeting aid seekers.
According to Gaza government sources, the number of Palestinians killed while trying to access aid has now surpassed 500 in just one month. On Tuesday, local media announced that the death toll from incidents at so-called “US-Israeli aid distribution centers” had reached 516 killed and 3,799 wounded since May 27, when the controversial distribution system began operation.
Witness testimonies and footage shared by activists depict harrowing scenes of mass killings: bodies piled outside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis and near aid stations in Rafah and central Gaza, where Israeli forces reportedly executed dozens of young men and dumped their bodies into wells to prevent recovery.
‘A Shameful, Deadly Trap’
The aid distribution mechanism, coordinated by the United States and Israel under the framework of the so-called “Gaza Humanitarian Foundation,” has drawn sharp international criticism.
The United Nations and humanitarian agencies have distanced themselves from the initiative, citing a lack of oversight and grave risks to civilians.
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), condemned the aid mechanism as “a disgraceful, humiliating, and degrading process for desperate people.” Speaking at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, he stated that it had become “a deadly trap that claims far more lives than it saves.”
His remarks were echoed by Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, who stated: “Palestinians continue to be killed and continue to be injured. This includes reports of people coming under fire near non-UN militarized distribution sites”.
Israeli forces carry out intensive raids on Jabalia al-Balad, north of the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/iKXjJ47SmC
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 25, 2025
Human rights organizations have also called for the immediate suspension of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s activities, warning of complicity in war crimes.
The mechanism operates independently of the UN and international relief agencies, raising fears of systemic manipulation and weaponization of aid under the cover of humanitarianism.
‘Calculated Death Traps’
The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas issued a statement condemning the Israeli-US mechanism as part of a “systematic policy of genocide.” It described the aid drop points as “calculated death traps used to manage starvation and humiliation” and called for the immediate intervention of the international community to establish a safe, UN-monitored distribution system.
“The crime is ongoing and being carried out with international cover and shameful silence, in flagrant violation of humanitarian laws and norms,” the statement read.
Hamas also urged international accountability mechanisms to prosecute Israeli leaders for war crimes and to impose an immediate and comprehensive halt to the Israeli military campaign.
Humanitarian Collapse
The broader humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip continues to deteriorate rapidly. Hundreds of thousands remain displaced, with civilians reporting multiple displacements under relentless bombardment. Basic needs such as food, clean water, and access to medical care have become scarce.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel—with full US support—has waged a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, marked by mass killing, starvation, destruction, and the forced displacement of civilians.
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Despite repeated rulings from the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to halt its assault, the campaign continues unabated.
According to official estimates, more than 188,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded since the beginning of the war. The majority of the victims are women and children. Over 14,000 people remain missing, and many are believed to be buried under the rubble of homes, hospitals, and aid centers. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, and starvation has begun to claim lives, especially among children.
What was once a war zone has now turned into an open-air graveyard, with international agencies warning that every hour of inaction fuels the continuation of what Palestinians and many human rights advocates are now calling an ongoing genocide.
(PC, AJA, UN)