Pits, gunfire and panic: Palestinians navigate death at US aid points

At 2am, Ahmad Abu Zubaida received a text message from friends: aid had finally arrived.

Starving under a months-long Israeli siege, he set out for the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution point in the central Gaza Strip.

Driven by the urgent need to feed his children and orphaned nephews, Abu Zubaida, a Palestinian father who had recently lost three brothers in Israeli attacks, risked his life to reach the site.

On the way to the centre in the Gaza Valley area, there were no lights and no paved roads. 

As he approached the gate, Israeli gunfire erupted.

Dozens around him dropped, some killed, others wounded, many screaming in agony.

"It was as if it were the Day of Judgment," Abu Zubaida told Middle East Eye, recalling the chaotic scene: shrapnel flying in every direction, the cries of the injured, and the relentless crack of gunfire.

Read more: Pits, gunfire and panic: Palestinians navigate death at US aid points