A stampede outside an aid distribution center in Gaza killed at least 20 people waiting for food on Wednesday, according to Palestinian and aid officials. The deaths bring the number of people killed while trying to get food from the foundation to about 700 since late May.
The Gazan health ministry blamed Israel’s actions, saying tear gas was fired into a crowd gathered at the distribution site, causing the stampede. However, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation disputed this, claiming that armed agitators in the crowd created chaos and violence.
The aid organization said it used pepper spray to disperse the crowd, while one American worker allegedly fired shots into the air to rescue a boy from being trampled. The Israeli military declined to comment on the incident.
Critics of the foundation argue that its system politicizes and militarizes basic assistance, violating humanitarian principles. Many Gazans have had to walk for miles and cross Israeli military cordons to obtain aid from the group’s distribution sites.
The United Nations has described the aid organization’s supplies as a mere trickle compared to the needs of a population at risk of famine. The U.N. has called on people to protect aid trucks carrying medical supplies from attacks and ensure their safe passage to hospitals.
Representatives from countries that convened a United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday criticized Israel’s restrictions on aid entering Gaza, saying they are “unconscionable.”
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/16/world/middleeast/gaza-aid-site-stampede-ghf.html