A scramble for aid turned into a deadly stampede and gunfire in Gaza on Monday, as scores of Palestinians were killed or wounded while chasing food amid a relentless Israeli siege that has choked the enclave and dragged it to the brink of famine nearly 22 months into the war.
Parachutes bring hope and chaos
In the skies over central Gaza, aid pallets parachuted down over the town of Zuweida. On the ground, hundreds of men – many of them gaunt, barefoot and desperate – raced to catch the falling packages. Cheers broke out as the aid descended.
But the joy quickly unraveled into chaos. Fights erupted, batons were raised, and one package crashed into a tent, injuring a displaced man who was rushed to the hospital.
Rabah Rabah, standing amid the crowd, shook his head in disbelief. “I wish they would deliver it through the crossings,” he said. “This is inhuman.”
Symbol of risk and desperation
As land routes remain heavily restricted, airdrops have become a lifeline – and a gamble. Several nations have turned to parachuting food and medicine into Gaza, but the method is far from precise. Some parcels fall into the sea, others into “red zones” declared off-limits by the Israeli military.
Still, starving Palestinians venture into these perilous zones, risking their lives for basic staples like flour and cooking oil. The United Nations and aid groups have condemned the airdrops as costly, unsafe and woefully inadequate compared to land deliveries.
Gunfire near aid and border crossings
The day’s bloodshed wasn’t confined to falling aid. Near the Israeli-controlled Zikim Crossing, at least 16 Palestinians were killed and over 130 wounded, according to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Witnesses and health officials blamed Israeli fire. The military offered no comment.
In Khan Younis, Israeli airstrikes killed five people sheltering in tents in the al-Mawasi area. Later, three more were gunned down near an aid distribution point south of the city.
In central Gaza, west of Nuseirat refugee camp, an Israeli airstrike killed two Palestinians, including a woman. Four others were killed in Gaza City as jets struck residential apartments. The neighborhood of Sheikh Radwan was also hit, causing panic and injuries.
Alarming rise in neurological illness
As the wounded poured into hospitals, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported a sharp increase in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare and potentially deadly neurological disorder.
Ninety-five cases were confirmed – including 45 children – a likely consequence of widespread malnutrition and chronic stress.
Tensions boiled over along the Morag Corridor – a road carved by Israeli forces between Khan Younis and Rafah for aid delivery. Witnesses said Israeli troops opened fire on young men who moved toward the convoy.
Mohammed al-Masri, who was there, described the horror: “One man lay motionless. Others screamed in pain.”
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis received 10 bodies from Morag and five more from near a distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a U.S.-backed contractor.
Though GHF denied any violence, it admitted its staff had fired warning shots and used pepper spray to contain crowds.
At another GHF site in the Netzarim Corridor, Al-Awda Hospital confirmed receiving eight more bodies. Fifty people were wounded, some severely. Witnesses said Israeli troops had opened fire.
A video showed a man carrying a lifeless body while others hauled sacks of food in the dust. “It’s like yesterday, and the day before,” said Ayman Ruqab, who had tried three times to reach the aid drop, only to be driven back by gunfire. “It’s a death trap.”
The Israeli army claimed it fired only warning shots at individuals who “posed a threat,” adding it was unaware of any casualties.
Mounting death toll and legal scrutiny
The broader toll of the war remains staggering.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken, Israel has launched a massive military campaign that has killed more than 60,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Nearly half of the dead are women and children.
Israel disputes these figures but has not provided alternative data. The U.N. and international health experts say the Health Ministry’s numbers remain the most credible.
Israel faces increasing legal scrutiny. In November, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Simultaneously, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is investigating allegations of genocide.
Meanwhile, the fate of the hostages remains unresolved. Of the 251 taken by Hamas, about 50 are still believed to be in Gaza – trapped in a war zone as hunger tightens its grip.
