At least 59 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 injured on Tuesday after Israeli tanks opened fire on crowds in Khan Younis, where thousands had gathered near an aid truck in hopes of receiving food, Reuters reported. The incident, described by witnesses as a deliberate shelling of a hungry and desperate crowd, marks one of the deadliest days since aid deliveries resumed to the Gaza Strip in May.

Footage circulating online showed bodies strewn across the road in the southern city. Medics at Nasser Hospital reported being overwhelmed, treating victims in hallways and on floors due to lack of space. Survivors recounted chaos and horror. ?We were allowed to move forward, and suddenly shells started falling,? said a man identified as Alaa. He described people being torn apart as they tried to collect flour for their families. The wounded were brought to hospital in whatever means were available - civilian cars, rickshaws, and donkey carts.

According to the Israeli military, troops had identified a gathering near a stalled aid truck and opened fire. A statement noted that the circumstances of the incident were under review. ?The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimise such harm,? it said, while stressing the need to protect its forces. Reports of Israeli drone fire also emerged. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said drones fired first, followed by tank shells minutes later, hitting civilians waiting for food.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Tuesday's death toll across the territory had reached at least 73, including 14 killed in other attacks. Since late May, when Israel partially eased its blockade, 397 Palestinians seeking aid have reportedly been killed and more than 3,000 wounded.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new U.S.- and Israeli-backed body managing aid distribution at a few sites under Israeli protection, has been at the centre of controversy. Despite claims that over three million meals have been handed out without incident, Gaza authorities say hundreds have been killed while trying to reach GHF centres. Humanitarian groups and the United Nations have refused to cooperate with the GHF, warning it violates neutrality and prioritises military interests over humanitarian needs.

Tuesday's attack was the deadliest around GHF aid sites so far. The previous day, 38 were killed, mostly in Rafah. Eyewitnesses to the latest incident spoke of heavy machine-gun fire, drone strikes and shelling. ?They shredded people to pieces,? a medical source told Al Jazeera. One survivor, Yousef Nofal, said the crowd was gunned down even as they fled. Another, Mohammed Abu Qeshfa, said he was only alive ?by a miracle.?

United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres condemned the attack and called for accountability. His deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said 338 people had been killed and nearly 2,800 injured while trying to access food. ?It is unacceptable,? he stated.

The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. After months of total blockade, aid continues to trickle in under heavily restricted conditions. The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that fuel needed to keep hospitals running is not being allowed in. WHO's Rik Peeperkorn noted that only 17 of Gaza's 36 hospitals are minimally operational, with around 1,500 beds - nearly half the capacity before the war began.

The war, triggered in October 2023 by Hamas? attack on Israel which killed 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, has now led to the deaths of nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Nearly the entire population of 2.3 million has been displaced, and hunger has become widespread.

As residents continue to suffer under bombardment and hunger, some have turned their attention to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. Social media in Gaza has been filled with images of destruction in Israel, with residents expressing satisfaction that, for once, Israelis are experiencing the terror of airstrikes that Gazans have endured for nearly two years.

Sources:

• Reuters
• Al Jazeera