TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) claims 20 people were killed at an aid point in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza region on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, blaming armed "agitators" in the crowd.
"Our current understanding is that 19 of the victims were trampled and one was stabbed amid a chaotic and dangerous surge," the organization, supported by the U.S. and Israel, said in a statement as reported by Al Arabiya.
The GHF claims that the onslaught was "driven by agitators in the crowd," adding, "We have credible reason to believe that elements within the crowd – armed and affiliated with Hamas – deliberately fomented the unrest."
"For the first time since operations began, GHF personnel identified multiple firearms in the crowd, one of which was confiscated," GHF claimed on Wednesday.
"An American worker was also threatened with a firearm by a member of the crowd during the incident," it added, referring to it as part of a "very distressing pattern," including "false messages" about the opening of aid locations.
Medical sources at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis provided different accounts and casualty figures. They said they received "nine fatal casualties, including several children" after Israeli forces opened fire.
The sources added that the casualties headed to the food distribution center in northwestern Rafah to receive aid, but the main gate to the center had been closed.
"The Israeli occupation forces and the center’s private security personnel opened fire on them, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries," the sources added.
The deaths came as the Gaza civil defense body said eight people were killed in an Israeli attack in the Palestinian territories on Wednesday, including six in Gaza City.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The GHF, a foundation supported by U.S. military contractors and consulting firm BCG, which once employed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, began its operations on May 26 after Israel halted supplies to Gaza for over two months, triggering warnings of famine.
On Tuesday, the UN said it had recorded 875 deaths in Gaza while trying to obtain food, including 674 people around GHF sites, since late May.
Last week, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, told reporters that 'the majority of the casualties are gunshot wounds'.
The GHF had previously denied fatal shootings occurring around its aid points, with the Israeli military in turn accusing Hamas of being responsible for shooting at civilians.
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