Palestinians gather at an aid distribution point set up by the privately-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), near the Nuseirat refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip on June 25, 2025. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP)
Israeli soldiers in Gaza are being order to fire on Palestinians as they attempt to collect aid packages from the Israeli-backed and U.S.-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's distribution sites, according to a revealing report published Friday by Haaretz that includes numerous testimonies from Israeli officers.
Health authorities in Gaza announced on Thursday that at least 549 people had been killed in the last month of operations by the GHF as they sought to receive the boxes of supplies that have trickled into the Strip following two months of total blockade in which nothing entered and nothing left Gaza.
The GHF is run by an American evangelical organization and employs American mercenaries for security and Palestinians as part of operations. It runs a mere four distribution sites – three in southern Gaza and one in the center – to serve around two million people and are typically open for only one hour in the mornings.
The Israeli army is reportedly stationed several hundred meters away from these sites, which, according to Haaretz, could see thousands, and at times tens of thousands, of people arrive daily to collect food.
According to officers and soldiers who were stationed in these areas, the army fires at people who arrive before opening hours to, ostensibly, prevent them from approaching, or again after the centers close, to disperse them.
One officer pointed out that the distribution is inconsistent meaning Palestinians don't know when each center will open, and mixed messages are adding to the chaos around each site.
"It's a killing field," one soldier told Haaretz. "Where I was stationed, between one and five people were killed every day. They're treated like a hostile force – no crowd-control measures, no tear gas – just live fire with everything imaginable: heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, mortars.T hen, once the center opens, the shooting stops, and they know they can approach. Our form of communication is gunfire."
"I'm not aware of a single instance of return fire," the soldier added. "There's no enemy, no weapons." He said these actions are referred to as "Operation Salted Fish," the name of the Israeli version of the children's game "Red light, green light."
Another officer explained to Haaretz that the Israeli army's "security perimeter" at each distribution site rings the the "corridor" leading to the centers, where only American mercenaries are present.
The Israeli troops are stationed with tanks, snipers, and mortars whose purpose, according to the officer, is to protect those present and ensure the aid distribution can take place, however the officer also said that these areas are also considered a combat zone, signalling that the lines are blurred.
"At night, we open fire to signal to the population that this is a combat zone and they mustn't come near," the officer said.
A senior officer whose name repeatedly came up in testimonies heard by Haaretz is Brigadier General Yehuda Vach, commander of the Israeli army's Division 252. An officer in the division says Vach decided to disperse gatherings of Palestinians waiting for U.N. aid trucks by opening fire. "This is Vach's policy," the officer said, "but many of the commanders and soldiers accepted it without question. [The Palestinians] are not supposed to be there, so the idea is to make sure they clear out, even if they're just there for food."
In addition to Israeli fire, military sources said some of the fatalities near the aid distribution centers were caused by gunfire from Israeli-backed Palestinian militias, with whom Hamas has been increasingly clashing with in recent days, including the Abu Shabab group, accused of stealing aid and reselling it at exorbitant prices.
"There are many groups that oppose Hamas – Abu Shabab went several steps further," he said. "They control territory that Hamas doesn't enter, and the [Israeli army] encourages that."
Another officer remarked, "I'm stationed there, and even I no longer know who's shooting at whom."