In the early hours of February 29th, 2024, more than a hundred civilians were killed at a humanitarian distribution point when attempting to collect flour. The deaths were said by local sources, including eyewitnesses and UN experts, to have resulted from Israeli forces opening fire on a large crowd gathered at the collection point. Israeli forces allege that they fired on militants amongst the crowd and not civilians, and blamed the high death toll on overcrowding. Airwars has identified three individuals who were militants and killed at the distribution site.
The incident, which took place at the al-Nabulsi roundabout on al-Rashid Street in the Sheikh Ajleen district south-west of Gaza City and lasted from about 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., resulted in at least 127 deaths and up to 150 deaths and left at least 760 and up to 1000 people injured. Because the people who were killed were trying to get food amidst the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the incident is now known among Palestinians as “The Flour Massacre.”
Many of the victims were men travelling on their own to bring back flour for their families. Eyewitnesses reported that there was fear among populations about the safety of these distributions; Saleh, an eyewitness who spoke to Le Monde and requested his name be changed, was aware of violent incidents during previous aid distribution operations but said he was also forced to join the wait on Al-Rashid Street due to extreme hunger. He told Le Monde that he had not seen white flour for “two months” and that a 25-kilo bag was priced at around $1000 (US Dollars).
Faris Elewya, a 52-year-old resident of Gaza City, told Mondoweiss: “I had heard that anyone who goes to the Nabulsi area west of Gaza can find the aid trucks passing through the north. I didn’t hesitate. Even if I was taking a risk, it’s better than watching my family starve to death”.
Some victims died after being rammed by aid trucks attempting to escape the gunfire, according to interviewees speaking to CNN. In particular, Khader Al Za’anoun, a journalist in Gaza with the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa, told CNN that the majority of the casualties occurred as a result of people being rammed by aid trucks as they tried to escape Israeli gunfire. Sources also told Al Jazeera that tanks ran over people. A photograph of a crushed body circulated on social media.
Eyewitness accounts
Omar Al-Balawi recounted the shooting in a Facebook post: “How difficult it is to see those around you receiving a bullet in the head and another in the chest. And another in his back, and another in his hand, and another in his foot, and a feeling comes to you that maybe you will be next!” He continued, “The flour bags were not white, and the hills were red from the abundance of blood that had flowed.”
Said Al-Suwairki, who survived the attack, told +972: “After hours of waiting, the first aid trucks arrived and everyone rushed toward them. People were scrambling and pushing each other to get a bag of flour. Once people crowded the trucks, the Israeli army vehicles opened heavy gunfire on us. I saw the bullets hitting people directly.“
Le Monde reported an interview with witness Saleh: “They were shooting at random, at everyone who was there”; he also mentioned that snipers and tanks were shooting at them. “A young boy of 13 or 14 kept repeating, ‘I don’t want to die, take me to the hospital!’ I tried to carry him as I ran away and asked for help. He died in my arms. The gunfire around continued, it was indescribable.”
According to Al Jazeera’s Ismail al-Ghoul, who was at the scene, the firing took place in two bursts, the first as people seized the goods and the second when the crowd returned to the trucks. “After opening fire, Israeli tanks advanced and ran over many of the dead and injured bodies,” he said. By the time the shooting died down, dozens of people had been killed and hundreds injured.
28-year-old Ahmad Imteiz, who also witnessed the massacre, spoke to Mondoweiss. “I got to the Nabulsi roundabout at 10 a.m.” Imteiz told the media. “I waited for the convoys as the number of people there swelled to the thousands.” “Then a few trucks arrived. One truck was carrying canned foods. Another was carrying frozen chicken. People rushed the trucks before they even reached the Israeli checkpoint,” he recounted. Most of the people surrounding the trucks were shot dead or injured. Ahmad was able to return home carrying four cans of fava beans and a single chicken he had managed to grab.
Palestinian photographer Mohammed Hajjar spoke to France24, saying that he and his brother managed to get hold of one 25kg bag of flour and a box of pasta and cooking oil at al-Rashid Street – food supplies, that would barely last his family a week. As soon as he heard about the shootings, he rushed to Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital, where many of the injured were taken. Medics at Al-Shifa told him that children were amongst the hundreds of dead and injured.
The death toll
Videos posted on social media show bodies being carried on donkey carts, as well as hospitals flooded with wounded. Mohamed Ayad, a Shifa hospital morgue worker, told The Guardian that they were receiving injured people and that 35 to 45 “martyrs” had arrived at the hospital.
According to Abdel Jalil Al-Fayoumi, an eyewitness cited by +972 who lost his 15-year-old cousin Moatsem, “The hospital [Al-Shifa] was full of dead and injured people, and mothers looking for their missing children.”
The Ministry of Health initially reported that 112 people had died and 760 were injured. However, the death toll increased to at least 127 in the following days, according to Andalou agency. Some unofficial sources suggested the death toll could be as high as 150, with the number of injured surpassing a thousand – though these figures have not yet been confirmed by the Ministry of Health.
Airwars identified 41 victims from that day by name, based on testimonies provided on social media.
Relatives and friends of the victims shared numerous condolence messages and photos to honour the deceased.
Hamza Abu Sameer mourned his brother-in-law and cousin Tamer Wael Abu Waked, killed at the “Nabulsi roundabout massacre”, noting that he had “memorized the Book of God”. Included in the post was an image of Tamer wearing a red shirt, jeans, and a watch. Abdullah Barghout Abu Muhammad also mourned his cousin Tamer and wished “patience” to his aunt on her loss. According to Tamer’s Facebook profile, he worked at “Hajj Fahmi Barghout Sons Company for Home Appliances” and, based on images, looks to be in his late teens.
In a Facebook post, Akram Sobhi [Habib] mourned the “martyr”, 35-year-old Muhammad Mazen Jabr Habib, who died while “trying to get some flour to feed his four children and his wife, in addition to his elderly parents.” Another family member, Rolla Habib, wrote a condolence message for Mazen’s wife Suha, their children, and Rolla’s uncle and aunt, Mazen’s parents Umm Mazen and Abu Mazen. Rolla also posted a selfie taken by Mazen in front of a business area with Christmas decorations.
Ĺolo Emad shared a photo of his cousin, 32-year-old Nassim Mashal Saed Hamdouna, on Facebook, mentioning that the flour bags transported in the Nabulsi roundabout convoy were the most expensive “in human history”. A post from Belal Tayeh Abuhazem said that 18 members of the Hamdouna family had been killed by Israeli actions throughout the war, including Nassim, who was buried on March 1st. According to Nassim’s Facebook profile, he was married to Rola M. Hamdouna, and they had two young children. Just a few days after Nassim’s death, Rola changed her profile picture to an image of Nassim, along with the caption “I can’t imagine living my entire life without you. Oh, the loss that can never be replaced…”
Similarly, Muhammad Jundia hoped that the blood of his “martyred” 26-year-old cousin (Abdul) Karim Tayseer Salamah Jundia, who was killed “while he was searching for a livelihood to sustain his body exhausted from hunger,” would remain a “witness to the injustice of those near and far.” Muhammad also posted an image of Abdul Karim.
Facebook user Noor Nasser regretted not being able to say goodbye to her brother, Fares Nasser, whom she described as “the soul of my heart.” According to Fares’ Facebook profile, he had just gotten engaged to Sonia Mazen on August 12, 2023. Fares is seen in an image posted by Noor wearing a brown hoodie and looks to be in his 20s. In a video posted by Noor, the body of Fares is seen wrapped in a white shroud and being mourned by an elderly woman, an elderly man, and a man around the same age, with the caption “May you meet in paradise, my soul, my knight.” Another sibling of Noor and Fares, Angham Nasser, posted a video of Fares’ grave site on May 1st with the caption “How difficult is hope when the ‘cemetery is the size of the country.’”
A Facebook post from Jannat Hamada reported that “Muhammad Hamada Tayyab Shuhaybar has been missing since Wednesday night in Al-Musa’id Al-Rashid” along with a request for information if he was found. Airwars identified Muhammad Hamada Tayyab Shuhaybar’s name among the Ministry of Health list of deaths from July 2024; therefore, he has been listed among those killed in this incident. In an image posted by Jannat, 32-year-old Muhammad is seen posing in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
The Al-Louh Family Association announced the death of 32-year-old Saleh Abdul Hakim Al-Louh and 24-year-old Nasser Muhammad Al-Louh, as well as the death of a child, 16-year-old Mahmoud Ahmed Muhammad Ali Al-Louh, a resident of Al-Daraj neighbourhood in Gaza, in the “Nabulsi Crossroads Massacre.” Ilyès Abdesslam posted a memorial for Mahmoud, along with an image of him – a young boy in a white t-shirt.
A Facebook post form Tayseer Zain El Deen memorialized his wife’s nephew, a 38-year-old teacher Raed Majid Mushtaha (Abu Majid), writing that Raed was a “teacher and educator of generations” and wished condolences to “his parents, his wife, his sons, his relatives, our relatives and our in-laws, the honorable Mushtaha family.” In an image posted by Tayseer, Raed is seen smiling and dressed in a suit.
+972 spoke with Mohammed Mushtaha, Raed’s brother, who had been waiting with Raed since 5 p.m. on February 28th for flour for their children and elderly parents, which they said they hadn’t had in almost 100 days. According to Mohammed, “Before we went to Al-Rashid Street, I told Ra’ed, ‘Let me go alone, and you stay with our mother and your wife and three children,’” Mushtaha recounted. “He refused and said to me, ‘I am a father, I must feed my children. Let’s both go, and each of us will bring back one bag of flour. We don’t know how long this crisis will last.”
During the attack, Mohammed lost sight of his brother and went to wait for him at their previously agreed-upon meeting point for two hours, but he didn’t show up. Once the crowd dispersed, Mohammed found “his brother’s lifeless body on the ground,” likely killed by a tank shell “fired into the crowd of people waiting for aid.” Mohammed has now lost both of his brothers, including Raed’s brother Ahmed, who was killed in early December by an alleged Israeli shelling of his home in the Shujaya neighborhood.
Twitter/X user @Kholoud24583790 also wrote a tribute to Raed, calling him a “respected teacher.” According to this source, Raed “went out last night in hopes of getting some food for his children. He returned this morning, carried on shoulders, in a crime that left a thousand citizens dead or wounded.” In the image added to this tweet, Raed is seen as a young smiling man dressed in a pink shirt and a suit.
Le Monde spoke with an uncle of 29-year-old Bilal Samir al-Assi who told the newspaper that Bilal and his two brothers had gone to seek aid but at dawn, “when he realized that the crowd was rushing toward the convoy, he got scared and turned back” but “all of a sudden” he fell – the shot hit Bilal from behind and he died before reaching the hospital. His uncle added that “He wasn’t [heading] toward the trucks, and yet he was targeted. He was one of the first to die, to the north of the traffic circle.”
Bilal had two young daughters, aged two and five, and instead of bringing back something to feed his family, he came back with nothing, feet-first.” Twitter/X user @Khan786Rish wrote, “Bilal went to bring food for his two daughters and returned home, carried on his shoulders, while his two daughters looked at him, thinking he was asleep.|”
Wael Banat posted a memorial online for his daughter’s husband, Bilal, along with an image of Bilal smiling and standing on the beach. Bilal’s wife Rahaf Wael also continues to memorialise her husband, posting during Eid, “How can an Eid be pleasant for me while my soul is attached to your soul, my beloved?” along with an image of Bilal with their two young daughters.
The Chairman of Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, Ramy Abdul (@RamAbdu), tweeted about the death of Bilal, who “had documented the killing of citizen Jihad Al-Dardasawi with his lens a few weeks ago for the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor”, indicating he was a photographer.
Mahmoud Al-Louh Abu Malik posted a memorial for his cousin Saleh Abdul Hakim al-Louh (Abu al-Abd) along with an image of Saleh in a suit in front of ornamented doors, as well as a separate memorial for their other cousin, Nasser Muhammad al-Louh, pictured in a blue zip-up shirt. Karam Salah also memorialized his “cousin, my friend, my beloved, and war comrade, the kindest and best young man in his entire region” adding that “he was kind, respectful, well-mannered, and beloved, and his intentions were pure.” According to Karam, Saleh was killed by a stray bullet to his neck in the Al-Nabulsi roundabout. Ahmed Basil also posted a memorial for Saleh and Nasser, along with pictures of both.
Mahmood Nasser Elyazji posted on Facebook announcing the death of his sister’s husband, 34-year-old Abdul Karim (Aahad Jamal) Mushtaha, father of three children, who was killed while “searching for a livelihood to satisfy his hunger.”
A post from Mohammed Z. Laqan wished condolences to his friend Majed al-Shoubaki and his family on the death of Majed’s brother, 38-year-old Mahdi Yousef Hashem al-Shoubaki. Majed also posted a memorial for his brother Mahdi “Abu Sahib” along with an image of Majed and Mahdi sitting outside together in a crowd, smiling.
Hatem Sobeih posted a memorial mourning a “group of moons” from the Sobeih family, including his cousins – 48-year-old Hani Khamis Ashour Sobeih, 22-year-old Mahmoud Khalil Diab Sobeih, and 30-year-old Montaser Taha Ramadan Sobeih, along with images of each man – Mahmoud Khalil appeared to be a young man and is pictured smiling, Montaser appeared to be a young man with two young girls, presumably his children, and Hani Khamis appeared to be a middle-aged man with a beard. Montaser’s wife Areej, in a post shared by Issa Abu Kartoumah, thanked the fact that she could bid his husband farewell. According to her, she received the news that he was killed at 6:30 am, and he was shot “in cold blood” by snipers while trying to save his injured brother who was calling for his help.
The same phrase – “in cold blood” – was used by Fares al-Kurdi in a post describing the death of his uncle, 47-year-old Asaad Ala Ramadan al-Kurdi as “one of the most difficult things that affected my life and the lives of my relatives” along with a video of images of Asaad before his death, a middle-aged man cheerfully celebrating with his family, as well as images after his death, before and after being prepared for burial.
Ahmed Kurraz lamented the death of his cousin, 44-year-old Abdel Fattah Musa Abdel Fattah Abu Fadda. He regretted that he couldn’t comfort his aunt even though they were living in the same area because of the presence of the Israeli military. According to Ahmed, Abdel Fattah’s brothers Imad and Muhammad had died previously. Tariq Abu Fadda, a sibling of Abdel Fattah, Imad, and Muhammad, memorialized all of his siblings, including Abdel Fattah “Abu Musa” along with a picture of all three brothers, and Muhammad’s family.
35-year-old Tamer Zaqout was also killed in the incident, described by Facebook user Ahmed Saber as a “simple, polite young man” who had recently married. Since the beginning of the war, he had used a donkey cart to “to provide first aid to the injured, transport the disabled, and provide a way for the stranded” but had passed away after “a long struggle with life,” adding that “residents of Sheikh Radwan and Al-Nasr neighborhoods and Al-Shati Camp know him well.”
Mohammed Elswitiy wished “condolences and sympathy” to the Zaqout family, also on the loss of “my friend and colleague”, 27-year-old Ahmed Ashraf Abdullah Zaqout, along with an image of Ahmed dressed in a grey outfit and posing on a Mercedes. It is unclear if Tamer and Ahmed were related.
Muhammad Salman Al-Harazin mourned his wife’s uncle, 27-year-old Walid Mahmoud Diab Shweidah, writing that he went to the Nabulsi roundabout “to feed his children, mother, and father.” “Words cannot describe this crime against us. Humanity no longer has a place in Gaza, which is deprived of its means of life,” he lamented.
Nahed Nimr Shuhaybar Abu Ahmad identified the “young man” Muhammad Asaad Hassan Shuhaybar as one of the victims killed at the “Nabulsi roundabout massacre,” along with an Islamic prayer for his afterlife. He was 39 years old according to the Eighth Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza.
A Facebook post from Yasser Abu Zakaria memorialised Hani Ahmed Ibrahim Abdel Fattah Labad (Abu Fares), along with an image of Hani, a middle-aged man with a beard. According to Mohamed Labad, Hani was killed trying to get a bag of flour and “When a relative went to convey the shocking news to Abu Fares’ family, he found his children celebrating with joy, not knowing the extent of the tragedy that had befallen their family, because they had succeeded in obtaining two bags of flour and some canned food. He could not tell them and spoil that moment for them, and he was forced to let them live the moments of joy. He returned after an hour and a half to confront them with the bitterness of the truth, that their father had been martyred in the same massacre that they had survived.”
Fadi Ayman Al-Qashou posted a memorial for Alaa Al-Din Ashraf El-Sherbasy, described as a “memorizer of the Book of God,” adding, “my beloved, leaving you is very difficult.” According to Alaa’s Facebook profile, he was 22 years old when he was killed and was studying accounting at the Islamic University of Gaza.
Sherif Ashraf Abourezk mourned the loss of his friend Ahmed Abu Mansour and included an image of himself with Ahmed and another friend. According to Ahmed’s Facebook profile, he was married to Shoroq Elkayal, and they had just celebrated their three-year wedding anniversary in September 2023. Ahmed’s wife Shoroq changed her profile picture to an image of Ahmed, along with the caption “Your voice is still in my ears, and the longing in my chest is tearing my ribs apart.”
A Facebook post from Rabah Abu Arap reported on April 29, 2024, that a young man named Hazem Hossam Qasim had been missing since he was lost in the “Nabulsi events” on February 29th, and included a request for anyone with information to contact them. Hazem’s name was also found on the Ministry of Health list from July 2024 and is therefore presumed to have died during this incident.
Mohammed Ana also reported someone missing after the “Nabulsi massacre,” posting on April 12, 2024, that “my dearest Muhammad Adel Afana” had been missing since February 29th, along with an image of Muhammad holding a very young child. Muhammad’s name was not found on the Ministry of Health list, but has been included in the list of those killed based on the description of his disappearance, unless further information comes to light.
A Palestinian woman Nadiah al-Hilu talked to the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories and said that her 43-year-old brother, Muhammad Sa’ed, had been killed at al-Nabulsi square.
The death of 15-year-old Moatsem was described by his cousin, Abdel Jalil Al-Fayoumi, in his interview with +972. While Abdel was at the place of the incident with his cousin and uncle Abbas, “intense gunfire erupted from the Israeli tanks. I got separated from my uncle and cousin. I didn’t know what was happening; I just wanted to survive and escape. Everyone was screaming and fleeing. There were bodies on the ground, and wounded people crying for help.” Al-Fayoumi looked around desperately until 9 a.m., but couldn’t find Abbas or Moatasem. He returned to where his family was staying to check if the pair had made it back, but they hadn’t. He decided to go to Al-Shifa Hospital with his uncle’s wife, where many of the dead and wounded had been brought by donkey cart.
After hours of searching, they found Abbas standing in front of a body covered with a bloodied white blanket. Moatasem, his son, was lying lifeless with parts of the inside of his head exposed. Abbas explained that when Israeli forces opened fire on the crowd, he and his son had tried to take cover behind debris from previous bombings. Moatasem lifted his head for a second, and was struck by an Israeli bullet. “My uncle couldn’t stop crying in front of his son’s body, saying, ‘I couldn’t bring you flour, forgive me,’” Al-Fayoumi continued, with tears streaming down his face. “The only reason he went with his son was their dire need to bring home food.”
27-year-old Salameh Rafiq Obeid lost his 13-year-old cousin Nidal in the deadly strike. He told +972 that Nidal was shot dead while attempting to get a bag of flour from a truck near the Israeli army. According to Salameh, “When the crowds descended on the aid trucks near the Israeli forces, the army responded by indiscriminately firing at everyone who was there, forcing them back,” Obeid continued. “Seeing this unfold, I desperately searched for my relatives to head back to the school [where Obeid’s family is sheltering].
A tweet from @Sara_Y_Ashour identified a volunteer with the “Doctors of Good” team in Gaza, headed by Dr. Khalil Mazen Abu Nada, as one of the victims of Nabulsi incident – the volunteer had been waiting for flour to distribute to needy families.
Heba Dgheiam reported that her brother was injured in his foot during the “flour massacre” and had to get a platinum device because of the injury.
51-year-old Haitham Jarrada suffered a broken right foot amid the chaos. “I was waiting for aid, just like everyone else,” he told +972. “It all unfolded in the blink of an eye,” Jarrada continued. “We were waiting in the darkness. Some truck drivers kept moving, fearing harm from the gunfire. I tried to escape, but because of the crowding, people pushed me in front of the truck, and it crushed my leg.”
Hossam Abu Shaar, a 29-year-old resident of Gaza City, who was injured in the attack, spoke to Al Jazeera, recalling the horrific event he had been through. “I’m never returning to wait for aid again there,” Abu Shaar said, recalling the live fire from the Israeli forces that the crowd endured. “It was so huge that nearly everyone was either killed, shot, or injured.” he said. “I was among the very few lucky ones, he said, recalling how he had felt the wind of the bullets pass him by. I was hit in the leg by shrapnel from an artillery shell that landed nearby.”
“I saw bodies being scattered all across the road. It was horrific,” Hossam added. “We’ve faced similar situations before, when Israeli tanks fired at us, killing and injuring many. But this time the world paid attention, maybe because we were killed on camera,” he said. “I don’t know if we are lucky or damned,” he said. “This bag of flour turned out to cost the life of its bearer; it’s the most expensive food ever made.”
30-year-old Mahmoud Ibrahim Abdel Salam Obaid told the researchers of relief.web about his injury: “Due to extreme hunger, I went for the first time to get aid. I did not see anyone approaching the tank, which was stationed near Al-Rashid Street. I took aid from the first truck, and when I turned around, I was hit by two bullets from the tank, one in my back and another in my hand.”
Another injured man, 34-year-old Atiya Abdel Fattah Lafi, shared his story: “The first and second trucks entered, and people approached them and started taking aid. Then, when the third and fourth trucks entered, the occupying forces started shooting. I was able to take a share of the aid and decided to return to my house. I was then hit with a bullet in my back while I was around 700 meters away from where the Israeli tanks were stationed.”
CNN interviewed seven survivors who were treated for injuries in what was Gaza’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa. Among them was Jihad Abd Rabu, who had a bandage wrapped around his chest where he had been shot – a bullet had hit his left shoulder. He said that he was struck with gunfire in the early hours but had to wait until sunrise before anyone came to help.
Another survivor, Hamouda Zamil, told CNN that he was shot at after he was given a bag of flour from the convoy. “As soon as I carried the bag of flour and started to walk, they (the IDF) shot at me,” he said.
Dr. Amjad Aliwa, a physician at Al-Shifa, told CNN he had gone to Al Rashid Street to get food for his family and witnessed people panicking when the Israeli military started firing. He said that people started to push each other to get to the trucks, with some being pushed in front of them, and in the chaos, he was shot in his left thigh. He said he quickly bandaged his leg before returning to the hospital to provide treatment for the many wounded who had been taken there.
According to eyewitnesses who spoke to Euro-Med Monitor researchers, a Palestinian doctor Muhammad Awad was first arrested by the Israeli soldiers, but later they shot at him, injuring him in the shoulder.
Thirty-four-year-old Mohammed al-Simry, a father of four, lost his cousin Amer in the deadly attack. Mohammed also spoke to Al Jazeera, saying that he had been undecided whether to go and wait for the aid convoy. On the one hand, he felt the large crowd offered too tempting a target to Israeli snipers; on the other, he and his family were dying anyway. He had nothing to lose, he felt, so along with his cousin, Amer, he left to sleep at the Nabulsi Roundabout in advance of the convoy’s arrival.
According to Mohammed, the Israeli forces fired into the crowd of hungry civilians clamouring for food for one and a half hours. “The blood was everywhere,” he recalled. Mohammed continued, describing how thousands tried to flee the scene, their faces and clothing covered in blood, many carrying the dead bodies of their friends. In the confusion, Mohammed stumbled across Amer’s body – they had gotten separated in the tumult.
“We’d talked about what we needed, how we would bring it to our starving children and eat until we finally beat the hunger,” he said. “Sadly, that never happened. Not only did I leave the convoy hungry, I left without a loved family member who had only wanted a bite of bread,” he said.
Reconciling individuals with the Ministry of Health lists
Where possible, the names of the victims have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Since October 26, 2023, the MoH has released eight lists, along with an additional list of medical professionals, which was released on September 17, 2024. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names were matched to the lists from the fourth to the eighth, which were released in the period from April 30, 2024 till March 24, 2025.
Reports and investigations
Dr. Mohamed Salha, the interim manager of Al-Awda Hospital, told the BBC that on the morning of the attack that they had admitted 176 injured individuals, with 142 suffering from bullet wounds. Similarly, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza City, Hussam Abu Safiya, told the New York Times that they received the bodies of 12 gunshot victims and around 100 people with gunshot wounds.
An investigation by Euro-Med examined bullets found at the scene and identified them as 5.56x45mm NATO rounds, which Euro-Med reported to have been discharged from assault rifles used by the IDF, such as the M4 and the Tavor, as well as machine guns such as the IWI Negev. Euro-Med noted that this type of bullet is imported from the United Kingdom and licensed for use by the Israeli Ministry of Defense. It is also said to be manufactured in Israel by IMI Systems, a supplier to the Israeli army. Euro-Med found that a sample of 200 dead and injured victims “were indeed hit by this type of bullet.”
Eyewitnesses told Euro-Med that Israeli forces directly shot at “civilians who were waiting for the aid” as early as 4:10 AM. At 5:30 AM, the IDF “raided” the crowd, killing and injuring many people.” According to these testimonies, “many” were taken into custody while others were “directly executed” by Israeli forces. Eyewitnesses told Euro-Med that people “had suffered injuries to their chests, while others had suffered injuries to their limbs.”
CNN gathered dozens of videos and eyewitness testimonies from those present at the Al-Nabulsi roundabout that day and concluded that the shooting began at least eight minutes earlier than the IDF had previously reported – at around 4:22 AM, before the convoy had crossed the checkpoint. Bursts of gunfire, captured in videos recorded by eyewitnesses Belal Mortaja and Abu Watfa, were analysed for CNN by Robert Maher, a gunfire acoustics expert at Montana State University. He determined that these bursts indicated heavy automatic gunfire at a rate of 600 rounds per minute. According to CNN, a senior researcher in the Crisis and Conflict division at Human Rights Watch, Richard Weir, corroborated the assessment.
The incident was condemned by several political leaders, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, and the president of France, Emmanuel Macron. The Humanitarian organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) noted that they were unable to reach their medical staff, “still working in some hospitals in the north.”
Identifying militants (three)
Three individuals, Manar Ahmed Saleh (Abu Ahmed), 19-year-old Muhammad Wissam Abdulaziz, and 25-year-old Karam Imad Hajjo, have been identified as militants killed in this incident. All three appear to have been affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
On August 11, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad published tributes to both Muhammad Wissam Abdulaziz and Karam Imad Hajjo, identifying them as fighters. As such, both indiviuals were recorded as militants.
Mona Saleh posted a memorial for their nephew Manar Ahmed Saleh (Abu Ahmed, a militant) along with an image of Ahmed, an adult man, dressed in a button-down on the phone, and another image of Ahmed in distress, surrounded by smoke, possibly taken during the attack on Al-Rashid Street. Manar’s Facebook profile included pictures of two very young boys and a young girl, possibly his children.
When Airwars first published this incident, no open sources were found to suggest that Manar Ahmed Saleh was a militant. As such, Manar Ahmed Saleh was recorded as a civilian. This was in line with Airwars’ methodology which is employed across all conflicts we document, and informed by international standards regarding the ‘presumption of civilian status'. Specifically, as outlined by the International Committee of the Red Cross, civilian status is assumed until evidence is identified to the contrary.
On August 14, 2026, a Telegram account affiliated with PIJ's armed wing published a tribute to Manar Ahmed Saleh, identifying him as a fighter. As such, Airwars updated Manar Ahmed Saleh's status from civilian to militant.
Military statements
The IDF initially denied involvement in the incident, but later their spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, stated that soldiers had only fired “warning shots.” After an internal investigation, the IDF admitted that soldiers had fired at “suspects” they considered a threat, but continued to blame the majority of deaths on a “stampede” of people being hit by the trucks from the humanitarian convoy as they tried to drive away from the scene.
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told the media: “Tens of Gazan residents were killed as a result of overcrowding, and the Palestinian trucks unfortunately ran over them during an attempt to escape. An Israeli military force that was securing the area passed by the crowd and opened fire only when they encountered danger when the mob moved toward it in a manner that endangered the force.”
The IDF released edited drone footage showing events at two different locations. The video shows hundreds of people approaching the aid trucks, while other clips feature individuals lying on the ground or fleeing the convoy. The footage does not capture the moment the crowd began to disperse. The IDF has refused the request of several organisations to release the unedited footage, including CNN.