The IDF on Sunday released drone footage showing armed and masked individuals throwing rocks and opening fire on Gazan civilians attempting to collect looted humanitarian aid in southern Khan Younis.
The military accused Hamas of deliberately obstructing aid distribution and endangering civilians, calling the group "a brutal and murderous terrorist organization that is starving the residents of Gaza."
Drone footage shows gunmen in Gaza firing at civilians collecting humanitarian aid
(Video: IDF)
The footage was published hours after international media reported allegations that IDF troops had killed 30 people near an aid distribution site in Rafah. In an earlier statement, the IDF denied those claims, asserting that no shots were fired, supported by video footage, in or near the distribution zone and that initial findings confirmed this account.
"In recent hours, false reports have been spread, including serious allegations against the IDF regarding fire toward Gazan residents in the area of the humanitarian aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip," the statement said.
Security footage shows no shooting at Rafah aid distribution center
"Findings from an initial inquiry indicate that the IDF did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false."
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The military said it facilitates the delivery of humanitarian aid by the U.S. nonprofit Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and other international organizations, ensuring that aid reaches civilians and not Hamas.
"Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization that starves and endangers the population in order to preserve its control over the Gaza Strip," the statement continued. "As part of its brutal behavior and its attempts to disrupt humanitarian aid, Hamas directly harms the residents of Gaza."
An IDF source added that overnight, about one kilometer from the aid site and outside distribution hours, Israeli forces fired warning shots at several individuals who approached them. "There is no connection between this incident and the false allegations being made against the IDF," the source said.
The IDF called on media outlets to be cautious in publishing information originating from Hamas, which the military accused of fabricating events to undermine Israel’s efforts to facilitate aid.