An Israeli military official told NBC News that Israeli soldiers fired warning shots “toward several suspects" about a half-mile from an aid distribution center that was the site of a deadly attack in the Gaza Strip on Sunday.
The official said the "suspects" were advancing "toward troops in an overnight incident," and that there was no connection between this and “false claims” that the Israeli military killed and injured Palestinians receiving aid early Sunday.
It is one of several accounts that followed the deadly attack in or near an aid distribution point in the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, four witnesses told NBC News journalists in Gaza that the Israel Defense Forces opened fire on a group of Palestinians receiving food from a collection point in Rafah, in the south of the enclave. At least 31 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 were wounded in the event, according to Gaza hospitals director Mohammed Zaqout.
Witnesses who spoke to NBC News described a chaotic scene.
Ahmad Abu Labdeh, 28, said an Israeli tank had fired into the crowd.
“They told us to come and collect aid, and when we gathered, they opened fire on us," he said. “It was hell."
The reports were vigorously denied by the IDF and the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the U.S. and Israel-backed organization that was distributing the aid.
In a statement issued Monday, the GHF said "there were no injuries, fatalities or incidents" during their operations Sunday.
"We have yet to see any concrete evidence that there was an attack at or near our facility yesterday and that evidence-based reporting should be at least the minimum requirement for news outlets," the GHF said.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee blasted the media for their reporting on the incident, saying the outlets are contributing to "the antisemitic climate" in the country.
Huckabee accused media organizations of not verifying details of the incident with "any source other than Hamas and its collaborators."
Video from an NBC News team on the ground showed a truck arriving at Nasser Hospital carrying several wounded men. Bystanders rushed the men inside, laying them beside other bloodied bodies strewn across the floor.
Arafat Siam, 43, said his brother was killed Sunday while attempting to collect aid for his children.
"He was going to get a living for his children and they killed him," Siam said. "He is not with Hamas or anyone else."
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was "appalled" by reports of Palestinians killed while hoping to collect aid Sunday.
"It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food," he said in an X post. "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable."
Guterres reiterated his call for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages.
Israel launched its war in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led terror attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Israel has since killed over 54,000 people in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
