Palestinians 'gunned down while trying to reach aid site in Gaza'

More than 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire yesterday as they went to receive food at an aid distribution point set up by an Israeli-backed foundation in Gaza, according to witnesses and a hospital run by the Red Cross confirming it was treating many wounded.

- Lorenzo Tondo Jerusalem Malak A Tantesh Gaza

Witnesses said Israeli forces had opened fire as Palestinians headed toward the aid distribution site in Rafah run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

"My brother went to receive aid from the American distribution points in Rafah when the bullets started raining down on them," Yarin Abu al-Naja, 44, said. "The Israeli soldiers had started shooting at the people there. My brother went with two of his friends. One of them was critically injured in the head, the other was killed, and my brother was shot in the back.

"He was transported to the hospital by a donkey cart - no ambulances can reach the area, and there were dozens of injured and dead," Naja added. "We saw him placed on the ground. There were no available beds due to the large number of casualties and dead arriving from the same location. The scenes were horrific - people missing limbs, hands or legs, others decapitated, or with open abdomens."

Media reports said dozens were being treated at the hospital after the latest incident at the site in Rafah. Officials at the field hospital did not say who opened fire but added that another 175 people were wounded.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received a "mass casualty influx" of 179 people and that 21 patients were declared dead on arrival. "All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site," it added, describing it as "the highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident since the establishment of the field hospital over a year ago".

Local health authorities said at least 31 of the dead were taken to Nasser hospital.