Israel rejects reports of IDF targeting Gazans at aid sites, warns of ‘Hamas misinformation’

Israeli government spokesman David Mencer addresses reports of incidents over the past three days in which Gazan civilians were allegedly shot and killed by IDF troops around an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, during an online press briefing for international reporters held by the National Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mencer reiterates the IDF’s response to reports that dozens were killed and wounded today after the military fired into crowds near the site, saying that troops “diligently” fired warning shots at suspects who approached them roughly half a kilometer away from an aid distribution site in the Rafah area of southern Gaza.

Health officials in the Hamas-run Strip said that 27 Gazans were killed and dozens wounded in the incident, though the tolls cannot be independently verified. Gaza-based media also reported, without confirmation, that hospitals have received multiple casualties from gunfire near aid zones.

“Let’s be clear: Israel is not preventing Gazans from accessing humanitarian aid, and the IDF did not fire at civilians in or near aid distribution zones,” Mencer emphasizes.

“The IDF is very much aware of reports of casualties and is reviewing the incident,” he says, adding: “The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it.”

Referring to a separate incident on Sunday, in which Hamas authorities claim at least 31 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded by IDF fire while on their way to an aid site in Rafah, Mencer says: “The IDF’s initial investigation confirms that serious accusations made on Sunday in so much of the media… were based on Hamas propaganda. The IDF has already proved them — has put out materials proving them to be false and baseless.”

The IDF, in fact, has not issued any materials from the incident in Rafah to prove its claims. It released a video from an unrelated event in Khan Younis later in the day, which it explicitly said was from Khan Younis and not from the aid distribution site in Rafah.

“It is clear that Hamas is trying their hardest to keep its own people, Gazans, away from the GHF distribution sites,” continues Mencer. “We urge the media — do not amplify Hamas disinformation. Verify before reporting.”

“It’s a battle of the narrative, and too many global newsrooms have become foot soldiers for Hamas,” Mencer says.