On the evening of May 27th, 2025, at least one child and one man,  17-year-old Muhannad Hani Mohammad Seyam and 29-year-old Salem Atta Salem Abu Musa, were reportedly killed near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid point west of Rafah City. At least a dozen other people were reportedly injured. GHF was established as an alternative to UN-coordinated humanitarian mechanisms in Gaza and is backed by Israel and the US. It was widely referred to by sources as the ‘American aid center’.

As there are two GHF aid distribution points in close proximity to each other, the one to the west of Rafah City is often identified as being ‘in the vicinity of Al-Alam roundabout’ while the other, in the Al-Shakoush, area is generally regarded as being northwest of Rafah. As sources referred to the incident occuring west of Rafah City, Airwars has noted the location of this incident as being in the Al-Alam roundabout area, west of Rafah City. This will be updated should additional information become available.

A video shared to Twitter/X by the Quds News Network and Sa7atPl Breaking, as well as to Facebook by Fadi Mansour  showed hundreds of people – men, women, and children – walking in a largely razed area, their path guided at times by metal fences, and at others, mounds of sand. At the beginning of the video, one gunshot is heard, followed by high-pitched screams. Some people then begin to run. Moments later, five rounds of gunshots are heard, and people are seen running more intently. Another two rounds of gun shots is heard before the video ends.

Salem Atta Salem Abu Musa was initially injured, before succumbing to his wounds. Salem’s death was first announced at 10:18 AM local time on May 27 by media outlet Safa.ps. The announcement stated that “Salem Atta Salem Abu Musa succumbed to his wounds after being shot by the Israeli army near the American aid center west of Rafah.”

The Facebook account associated with Al-Yawm News posted a similar update on May 28th, writing “Urgent | Salem Atta Salem Abu Musa succumbed to his wounds after being shot by the Israeli army near the American aid center west of Rafah.”

Salem was reportedly “shot in the head while going to receive aid at the distribution center in West Rafah”, according to a Facebook post shared by Brahim Ibra on May 27th.

The Shehab news agency, posting to Twitter/X at around 4 AM local time on May 29th, two days after the incident, wrote that the body of Salem, who was initially reported as injured, had been recovered. The post added that Salem had been “trying to reach the American aid center west of Rafah,” when he was “injured by the Israeli army.”

A video shared by Essam Salama on May 28 showed Salem, wrapped in a white shroud and lying on an orange stretcher in what appears to be a mosque. A crowd of boys and young men sit around him, and one young man holds what appears to be an open Quran on his lap. Accompanying the video, Essam wrote “A new moon joins the moons of the Qatata tribe, the martyr Salem Atta Salem Abu Musa. May God accept you, O martyr, and grant you the highest paradise.” Facebook user Adel Al Tayeb also shared the video.

A Facebook post shared by Abu Mahdi Abu Sahlol on May 28th remembered Salem as one of the sons from the Al-Qatawa camp, “joining the moons of the Al-Qatawa tribe.” Abu Mahdi also shared an image of Salem. In the photo, Salem smiles toward the camera, his curly hair falling over his forehead. He has a light moustache and beard, as well as a darker goatee. Hi wears a long-sleeve navy shirt with the word “ICON” emblazoned in red, with an image of a cartoon character below.

An image shared by Brahim Ibra to Facebook shows a young man pulling a makeshift sled through a raised corridor, similar to the one shown in the circulated video from the distribution site. The young man pictured in the photo does not appear to be Salem or Hana, though Brahim refers to Salim in the caption. In the photo, the young man smiles toward the camera. Others, visible in the background, are dressed similarly and pull or carry similar loads, presumably aid packages. Perhaps the photo was shared to depict the scene at the aid distribution centers.

Hana Muhammad Siam was also killed. Posting to Facebook on May 29th, Driss Hakim shared a news update which stated: “#Urgent | The body of Muhannad Hani Muhammad Siam, who was injured by the Israeli army the day before yesterday while trying to reach the American aid center west of Rafah, has been recovered.” A similar post shared by Facebook user “Catch an agent” wrote that Muhannad (referred to as Muhhand Hani Muhammad Siam) was “injured by the Israeli army the day before yesterday while trying to reach the American aid center west of Rafah,” but added that his body had since been recovered.

The following day, Muhannad’s brother Fahd Hana posted to Facebook to announce the death of his brother. He wrote “My brother and sibling, the martyr/ Muhannad Hani Muhammad Siam, who was martyred in the city of Rafah near the Dar Al-Ilm hospital, has passed away to God’s mercy.” Fahd added that his father’s food parcel was stolen, and asked for help.

An article published by Alresalah media outlet outlined the violence that unfolded at the aid distribution point in Rafah. According to Alresalah, “The military opened heavy gunfire and launched shells at hundreds of citizens gathered near an aid distribution point run by an American company in the western area of Rafah, southern Gaza.”

Citing an Al-Jazeera report, Alresalah wrote that “a number of people were killed, and dozens injured with varying degrees of severity due to the direct fire from Israeli forces near the distribution site. The wounded were transported to the Red Cross field hospital in Rafah, amid warnings of a worsening humanitarian situation and rising casualties.”

The article went on to outline the situation at the distribution site, writing that “residents had been waiting for hours under dire conditions just to obtain basic necessities in the midst of a crippling siege” before “Israeli tanks fired shells and machine gun rounds at the crowds.

Where possible, names of victims were cross-checked against fatality records released by the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH). Airwars’ researchers ascertained the Salem and Muhannad’s ages using these lists, matching both Salem and Muhannad to entries in the ninth MoH list released on June 23, 2025. Airwars prioritizes the first appearance of a name across these lists for consistency.

Where sources identified the belligerent, all sources attributed responsibility for the shooting to the Israeli military.

Geolocation indicates GHF proximity.