A Guardian investigation has found that Palestinians seeking food at distribution sites in Gaza have come under systematic and indiscriminate Israeli gunfire. The investigation analyzed visual evidence, bullets, medical data, and patterns of injuries from two hospitals, as well as interviews with medical organizations and surgeons, across approximately 50 days of food distribution.
The findings suggest that Israeli forces have employed small-arms fire near crowds of non-combatants, which is “reckless and irresponsible” and creates a significant risk of harm or death. According to the investigation, more than 2,000 Palestinians were injured during the 48 days studied, mostly by gunshots.
Ehab Nuor, a 23-year-old barber, has come under fire from the Israeli military near food distribution centers on more than 10 occasions. “This is how we get flour in Gaza. We just want to live – enough is enough,” Nuor said.
Mohammed Sleiman Abu Lebda, 20, was shot at while waiting for food at a distribution site. “The gunfire at us was random,” he said. “The man beside me was torn apart, his remains carried away in the bag he had brought to collect flour.”
Doctors at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis and the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah described treating an unprecedented number of gunshot wounds. Almost all responsive patients arriving at the field hospital say they were shot by the Israeli military while trying to reach a food distribution site.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the casualty numbers were higher than the combined number of patients they had treated during mass-casualty incidents over the entire previous year. In data seen by the Guardian, more than 100 of these patients were declared dead on arrival.
The Guardian consulted with two weapons experts, Chris Cobb-Smith and Trevor Ball, who analyzed the footage and bullets. They concluded that the bullets were consistent with Israeli munitions and that the action was “reckless and irresponsible.”
Prof Nick Maynard, a consultant surgeon at Oxford University Hospital, has been visiting Gaza since 2010 and has seen a clustering of similar injuries that coincide with the days when food was distributed. “The clustering of similar injuries in one day suggests this is a targeting activity at particular body parts,” Maynard said.
The investigation’s findings have been condemned by human rights groups and experts. Prof Adil Haque, a professor of law at Rutgers University, said that the actions of the Israeli military could be considered grave breaches of the fourth Geneva Convention and war crimes under customary international law and the ICC statute.
Bushra Khalidi, Oxfam’s policy lead for the Palestinian territories, described the situation as a “deadly scheme.” “It’s not a humanitarian system. It’s a deadly scheme,” she said.
The Israeli military denied targeting civilians and said it operates according to international law and upholds the highest ethical standards in its operations. An IDF spokesperson said that the military had conducted “learning processes aimed at improving the operational response… and minimising possible friction between the population and the IDF.”
However, the evidence analyzed suggests that the situation on the ground is dire, and the Israeli military’s actions are having a devastating impact on civilians in Gaza.