14-year-old Abed Zaydan and his mother, Reem, were on their sixth attempt in a week to reach a US-backed food distribution site in western Rafah, southern Gaza. But on Tuesday, eight hours into their walk, tank fire and gunshots erupted as they neared the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) center.

Zaydan saw bodies fall around him. He lay motionless next to his mother and sister until daybreak. When his mother stood up, a sniper’s bullet struck her in the head.

"Because I’m young, I got scared and left my mother," Zaydan told The Financial Times. "I ran away."
He is one of eight Palestinians who described to the Financial Times the dangers they faced while trying to reach the GHF site, often arriving to find aid already gone.

The report relates that every night, thousands of Palestinians brave the southern coastline toward the aid distribution site, many setting out long before dawn. Witnesses report that Israeli tanks, drones, and snipers regularly open fire on crowds attempting to access food.

On Sunday, telecom worker Ehab Jomaa was hiding in a ruined hotel near al-Alam roundabout—the final staging area before the sprint to the center when a quadcopter drone warned: "You must leave, we’ll shoot you." Moments later, a boy standing just meters from him was shot in the chest.

Despite the threat of death, residents continue returning, driven by the hunger gripping Gaza after more than two months of siege. Many find the site empty, the aid already taken. Chaos often erupts as people scramble for boxes of canned food and oil.

On the bloodiest days, Sunday and Tuesday, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported 35 and 27 killed, respectively, with hundreds more wounded. The Red Cross said its Rafah field hospital treated around 180 patients each day, most with gunshot wounds.

“There is no gate,” said Hossam Zorab, who watched a friend get shot. “The shooting is the gate.”

GHF and 'Israel' deny responsibility amid mounting death toll

According to FT, the GHF did not respond to requests for comment but has previously claimed that the violence occurs outside its distribution zones.

"Israel" denied targeting civilians indiscriminately, claiming it fired only “warning” or “additional” shots at individuals who deviated from designated routes. However, testimonies from survivors describe a grim pattern of systematic fire on civilians attempting to secure basic necessities.

Ashraf Abu Shbaker, a father of six, told FT that he tried three times, on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, but each time found nothing. On Tuesday, after questioning a security contractor about the absence of aid, he was pepper-sprayed. Other witnesses reported similar use of tear gas, sound grenades, and physical intimidation.

“Today, I didn’t want to go,” Abu Shbaker said. “I’m tired. If you want to starve people, go ahead, but don’t humiliate us like this.”

Zaydan searched multiple hospitals, hoping to find his mother alive. At Nasser Hospital, a paramedic brought in three unidentified women, and recognized one of them.

"This isn’t aid," Zaydan said. "It’s a mousetrap."

On Friday, the GHF suspended operations at its aid distribution centers after 110 Palestinians  were killed in incidents that the Gaza government has denounced as American and Israeli-backed "death traps".

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which receives support from both the United States and the Israeli occupation, announced the closure of all its aid distribution sites until further notice.

Just a few days earlier, the foundation had temporarily suspended distribution operations, citing the need to discuss security measures with the Israeli military. Meanwhile, an Israeli military spokesperson warned Gaza residents against approaching the foundation's aid distribution centers, following the killing of dozens of Palestinians near a distribution site in Rafah after Israeli soldiers opened fire on them.