From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 19, 2025
IDF: Troops ‘fired warning shots’ near Gaza aid center when Palestinians approached ‘in way that threatened forces’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
After Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency reported that 26 Palestinians were killed and over 100 were wounded near aid distribution sites in Rafah, the IDF says it is aware of reports of casualties after troops fired warning shots.
The military says that overnight, Palestinians had approached Israeli forces in the Rafah area “in a way that threatened the forces.”
“Troops operated to prevent the suspects from approaching them, called for them to distance themselves, and after they did not comply, the troops fired warning shots,” the IDF says.
According to the army, the incident took place a kilometer away from the closest aid site and during the night, when it was not open for Palestinians to collect aid packages.
The IDF says it “is aware of reports regarding casualties,” adding that the incident is under further review.
In recent months, hundreds of people have been reported killed in repeated incidents of shooting near the aid centers run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The Times of Israel Community.