Israeli occupation forces launched a deadly assault early Sunday on a humanitarian aid distribution point in Mawasi, Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing more than 30 Palestinians and wounding over 150 others, according to local reports.

The victims were among hundreds of desperate civilians who had gathered at the distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in search of food and basic supplies, as the territory continues to endure crippling starvation under Israel’s ongoing blockade and military siege.

This latest atrocity marks a disturbing escalation, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed at so-called “aid distribution points” to 47 in less than a week, with over 255 wounded. Human rights advocates and Palestinian officials are calling it a deliberate targeting of civilians under the guise of humanitarian coordination.

"Mass Death Traps," Not Aid Points

In a strongly worded statement, the Gaza government’s media office condemned the attacks as “mass death traps rather than humanitarian relief points,” accusing Israel of weaponizing aid to manipulate and endanger Gaza’s starving population.

“What we are witnessing is not accidental,” the statement read. “This is a systematic and malicious strategy—using food and survival as tools of war, blackmailing a starving population, and luring them into exposed zones for deliberate targeting.”

The media office held both Israel and its main backer, the United States, fully accountable for what it described as war crimes. It claimed that the so-called humanitarian zones are not neutral or safe but are “monitored, managed, and militarily exploited by the Israeli occupation, with political and financial backing from Washington.”

Widespread Bombardment Continues

In addition to the massacre in Rafah, Israeli warplanes and artillery unleashed a wave of attacks across the Gaza Strip overnight. In the southern city of Khan Younis, Israeli forces bombed the Qizan al-Najjar area while demolishing homes and civilian infrastructure in the eastern parts of the city.

Simultaneous strikes were reported in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood in eastern Gaza City, where heavy artillery fire and airstrikes targeted residential zones near Jabal Al-Sorani. Northwestern Gaza also came under fire, with Israeli warplanes bombing multiple locations amid an intensified military campaign.

A Humanitarian Catastrophe

As the war enters its ninth month, Gaza remains on the brink of total collapse. With border crossings sealed, international aid largely obstructed, and medical infrastructure decimated, humanitarian organizations warn of a looming famine and a public health disaster.

Observers say the targeting of aid centers underscores a broader strategy of collective punishment—an attempt to break the will of the population by turning humanitarian relief into a battlefield.

"This is not a war against fighters. It is a war against civilians—against children, against hunger-stricken families, against a population trying to survive," said a spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. "The world cannot look away."

Call for International Action

Palestinian officials and international legal experts are urging the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to launch immediate investigations into what they describe as crimes against humanity.

“These atrocities are not just breaches of international law; they are a moral stain on the conscience of the world,” said the Gaza media office. “There must be accountability, and there must be justice—for the martyrs, for the wounded, and for the millions still trapped under siege.” (ILKHA)