Testimony of citizen Islam Nahid Shahwan, 26 years old, regarding the massacre at the Gaza Humanitarian Organization Center, which manages the death traps in Rafah, yesterday:
At around 3:00 a.m., I left with my brother, Montaser, 36 years old, and another six members of my relatives our displacement place at Al-Rashid Street, near Karza recreation point in Al-Mawasi/ Khan Younis. We walked to the American Aid Center via Al-Teenah Street and the Lemon Orchard (Turkish Slaughterhouse Street), south of Khan Younis city.
We arrived at around 4:00 a.m. The soldiers were firing bullets around us, while we were trying, with thousands of other civilians, to protect ourselves by hiding behind the trees and under the rubble, or by lying flat on the ground.
At around 5:30 a.m., a woman next to me, almost 50 years old, was shot in the forehead. The bullet went out from the back of her head, leaving a big hole in it. She died immediately. Some people carried her and took her out of the area.
At around 6:00 a.m., the gunfire stopped. Some citizens were carrying a green flag as a sign that the distribution center had opened. Hundreds of citizens began running quickly towards there. The pathway was narrow. Its width was not more than 3.5 meters, and its length was almost 150 meters. At its end, there was a gate, just in front of the center.
Within minutes, the narrow path was crowded and chaotic. People were pushing each other. At that point, an American soldier placed an electric stick on the fence, while other American soldiers threw four grenades towards us. They also used pepper spray. Many fell to the ground. Others trampled over them. Among those was my brother, Montaser. A fellow helped him stand up and pulled him from beneath the crowd. We then walked out of the passage.
I saw a tuk-tuk vehicle carrying about seven fainting people. We couldn’t find any means of transportation to return to our tent. So, we had to walk back. My brother Montaser endured the pain. After several hours, we called an ambulance, which transported him to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. It was found out that he had bruises in the chest and suffered from difficulty breathing.
Abdallah Sharsharah
18/07/2025
(Translated by Rana Aradaji Bishara)
