Israel shares clip accusing gunmen of shooting at Gaza aid site, blames Hamas

Israel has accused Hamas militants of firing on hungry civilians gathered to receive humanitarian aid in Rafah, southern Gaza, strongly denying any Israeli involvement in the deadly incident that claimed at least 31 Palestinian lives and left dozens more injured. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released drone footage purportedly showing Hamas gunmen firing at the crowds, asserting that the incident was a deliberate effort to sabotage humanitarian efforts.

"Drone footage shows gunmen in Gaza shooting at civilians going to collect aid. Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza," the IDF said while sharing the video.

This comes amid a flurry of conflicting reports. Gaza's health ministry claimed that the civilians were killed when Israeli forces opened fire near the aid distribution site, which is run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed private relief organisation. The ministry said more than 200 people were wounded, many with severe injuries, and that all those killed had been shot in the head or chest.

CNN, citing a paramedic from the Palestine Red Crescent Society - the only medical personnel present at the time-reported that Israeli forces fired on the crowd.

A medical official quoted by the outlet said it was unclear who exactly opened fire but noted that the area fell under the responsibility of the Israeli military. "Whether they shoot or others who are working for them, it is still their responsibility," the official added.

The Red Cross, whose field hospital in Rafah was quickly overwhelmed, described the scale of casualties as unprecedented. "This is the highest number of weapon-wounded in a single incident since the establishment of the field hospital over a year ago," the organisation said in a statement.

However, the IDF rejected allegations of wrongdoing, stating that no Israeli forces fired at civilians "near or within" the distribution site. It said these were "false reports" and urged media outlets to be cautious when reporting information disseminated by Hamas.

An Israeli military source acknowledged that warning shots had been fired at suspects approaching a military position about a kilometre from the aid site-several hours before it opened-but said that incident was unrelated to the deaths.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also sought to counter the narrative by sharing video footage from the scene, which he said showed calm conditions at the time Israeli forces were alleged to have opened fire.

"Nothing. No shooting. Everything going well. 100% fake. The headline is simply a LIE," Bennett wrote on X (formerly Twitter), calling the accusations against Israel part of a slander campaign.

Guy Nir, spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in New Delhi, cited a GHF press release that firmly denied any shooting at the aid distribution site. "Our aid was again distributed today without incident. (Note: We are aware of rumours being actively fomented by Hamas suggesting deaths and injuries today. They are untrue and fabricated)," the release said.

Hamas, however, described the deaths as a "new massacre against hungry civilians", calling the aid centres "mass death traps, not humanitarian relief points".

A local Palestinian journalist told the BBC that Israeli tanks had opened fire early in the morning when thousands had gathered at the centre. The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams had recovered 23 bodies and treated an equal number of injured individuals.

The incident came just hours after Hamas responded to the latest US-backed ceasefire proposal. A senior Hamas official called the group's reply "positive and responsible", but the US envoy, Steve Witkoff, rejected it as "totally unacceptable".

According to AFP, Hamas reiterated its demand for a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza-long-standing sticking points in negotiations.

Israel's latest warning to Hamas was unequivocal: accept the ceasefire deal and release hostages or face annihilation.