Rafah: At least 23 Palestinians citizens were martyred and more than 200 others were injured on Tuesday as a result of the Israeli shelling and gunfire targeting thousands of people heading to an aid center west of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported that the occupation’s artillery and aircraft fired shells and gunfire at the displaced people as they waited for aid near a humanitarian aid distribution point in the vicinity of Al-Alam roundabout west of Rafah, killing at least 23 Palestinians and wounding more than 200 others.

In the same context, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported that dozens of Palestinians were killed or wounded while waiting to receive food from distribution centers, stressing that these incidents demonstrate the seriousness of the new aid distribution system and its severe lack of humanity and effectiveness.

The organization noted that with blood banks running low, the medical team itself was forced to donate blood to treat the wounded, stressing that the use of humanitarian aid as a weapon in this manner could constitute a crime against humanity.

In recent weeks, the Gaza Strip has witnessed a dangerous escalation by the Israeli Army, represented by the direct and systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians as they attempted to obtain humanitarian aid, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries and sparking a wave of condemnation and growing international concern.

These violations come amid an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, as Palestinians in the besieged Strip are forced to travel long distances amid deteriorating security and health conditions to reach the few aid distribution points.

The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have held Israel responsible for deliberately obstructing the delivery of aid, considering this a flagrant violation of international law and a direct threat to the lives of civilians.