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DEIR AL BALAH: Palestinian health officials and witnesses say at least five people were killed and others were wounded by Israeli fire as they headed toward two aid distribution points in the Gaza Strip run by an Israeli and US-backed group. Israel’s military said it fired warning shots at people who approached its forces.
Four bodies were brought to Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis. Palestinian witnesses there said Israeli forces had fired on them at a roundabout that is around a kilometer (half-mile) from a site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the nearby city of Rafah.
The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people it said were suspects who had advanced toward its forces and ignored warnings to turn away. It said the shooting occurred in an area in southern Gaza that is considered an active combat zone at night.
Meanwhile, Al-Awda Hospital said in a statement that it received the body of a 42-year-old man and 29 people who were wounded near another GHF aid distribution point, in central Gaza. The military said it fired warning shots in the area at around 6:40 a.m. but did not see any casualties.
A GHF spokesperson said there was no violence in or around its distribution sites, all three of which delivered aid on Sunday. The group had closed them temporarily last week to discuss safety measures with the Israeli military and has warned people to stay on designated access routes. The spokesperson spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Deadly shootings near new aid hubs
The past two weeks have seen frequent shootings near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel’s military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, near individuals approaching its forces.
Witnesses said Sunday’s shooting in southern Gaza occurred at around 6 a.m., when they were told the site would open. Many had headed toward it early to try and get desperately needed food before the crowds.
Adham Dahman, 30, who was at Nasser Hospital with a bandage on his chin, said a tank had fired toward them. “We didn’t know how to escape,” he said. “This is trap for us, not aid.”
Zahed Ben Hassan, another witness, said someone next to him was shot in the head. He said that he and others pulled the body from the scene and managed to flee to the hospital.
“They said it was a safe area from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. ... So why did they start shooting at us?” he said. “There was light out, and they have their cameras and can clearly see us.”
The military had announced on Friday that the sites would be open during those hours, and that the area would be a closed military zone from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m.
Risk of famine
The hubs are set up inside Israeli military zones — where independent media have no access — and are run by GHF, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and international aid groups.
Israel and the United States accuse the militant Hamas group of stealing aid, while the UN denies there is any systematic diversion. The UN says the new system is unable to meet mounting needs and allows Israel to use aid as a weapon by determining who can receive it and forcing people to relocate to where the aid sites are positioned.
The UN system has meanwhile struggled to deliver aid — even after Israel eased its complete blockade of Gaza last month. UN officials say their efforts are hindered by Israeli military restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting.
Experts warned earlier this year that Gaza was at critical risk of famine if Israel did not lift its blockade and halt its military campaign, which Israeli officials have said will continue until all the hostages are returned and Hamas is defeated or disarmed and sent into exile.
Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar have been deadlocked for months.
Israel says a spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defense is a Hamas member
In a separate development, the Israeli military accused a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense of being an active Hamas member, according to documents it said were recovered during operations inside Gaza.
The Associated Press was not able to independently verify the documents, which purport to show that Mahmoud Bassal joined Hamas in 2005. Bassal did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Civil Defense are first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government and often are first to arrive at the scenes of Israeli strikes.
Hamas started the war with its massive attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinians militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 people hostage. They are still holding 55 hostages, fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel has recovered dozens of bodies, including three in recent days, and rescued eight living hostages over the course of the war.
Israel’s military campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. It has said women and children make up most of the dead but does not say how many civilians or combatants were killed. Israel says it has killed over 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90 percent of its population. The territory’s roughly 2 million Palestinians are almost completely reliant on international aid because nearly all of Gaza’s food production capabilities have been destroyed.

Battal Sector, Azad Kashmir: On a dusty, uneven patch of ground beside the Poonch River, the rhythmic thud of a volleyball hitting palms and sand rose above the late afternoon quiet. 

It’s a familiar sound in the border village of Jhawara, located in the Poonch district of Azad Kashmir, the part of the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir that is governed by Pakistan. But until recently, it had fallen silent under the roar of artillery and gunfire.

Just weeks ago, the area bore the brunt of intense cross-border shelling between India and Pakistan. The Line of Control (LoC), a jagged and heavily militarized de facto boundary slicing through the disputed region, once again became a flashpoint for conflict, forcing families into hiding and pausing everyday joys like this daily volleyball match.

Now, with a tenuous ceasefire in place since May 10 — brokered with help from Washington — the boys are back on the field. 

For them, the return to play is more than a pastime. It’s an act of defiance, remembrance, and quiet hope.

“There has been firing here before but now it doesn’t feel scary,” said Hamid Fareed, 18, as he waited to serve. “There is a ceasefire in place now, which is why we play with peace of mind. Before, when there used to be firing, we didn’t play here.”

The Battal sector, situated at one of the most sensitive stretches of the LoC, was at the heart of last month’s escalation, with the shelling so heavy residents were forced to evacuate, and even the simple joy of a volleyball match became too dangerous to risk.

Among those displaced were the families of the boys who now fill the field each evening from 4pm until the sunset maghrib prayer. Many had sought shelter with relatives in safer villages farther from the border during the latest fighting. Others, like Fareed, stayed behind but refrained from venturing out unnecessarily.

The violence still didn’t spare the players. Anwar Taskeen, a 17-year-old student and regular at the matches, was killed in shelling on his home just hours before the ceasefire was announced.

“Our brother who got martyred [on May 10, 2025] used to play volleyball with us,” said Muhammad Nawaz, one of Anwar’s closest friends. “He used to come every day.”

“When they [Indian forces] fire, they target civilians and army posts as well,” he added.

SYMBOL OF NORMALCY

Now that calm has returned, at least for the moment, the boys are determined to reclaim the ground and the normalcy it represents. Most days, they split into two teams of six, playing until darkness falls. Laughter, shouts, and the squeak of rubber slippers on hard soil fill the air.

But the volleyball field isn’t just a space for play. It’s also a space of memory.

Taskeen’s absence lingers. So too does the knowledge that peace here is often fleeting.

“There are beautiful places on that side, people should get to enjoy them. And people from there should be able to come here,” said Abdul Hannan, another student who recently completed his intermediate studies.

“Many people there [Indian-administered], in Jammu and Kashmir, play as well,” Hannan added. “We watch their videos to gain skills. They are playing better than us. We also get motivated by watching them.”

The boys recalled that some former players who used to compete on this very field had now moved abroad in search of better opportunities. From afar, many continued to support the volleyball tradition, pooling together funds to help maintain the ground. 

Their latest contribution helped install a protective net, now in place for six to seven years, which keeps the ball from rolling into the river and drifting downstream toward the Indian side.

“WE JUST WANT PEACE”

The Poonch River marks both a border and a lifeline for the region. On hot days, the boys often dive into its cool waters to beat the heat, even as Indian army posts watch from across the bank.

That same river has seen far more than games but carried the sounds of shelling, the cries of displaced families, and now, the echoes of a volleyball match played in the name of peace.

During Ramadan and other special occasions, the field hosts semi-annual tournaments. Teams travel from neighboring towns and villages to compete, a reminder that even in a conflict zone, community and competition endure.

“When there is peace, we can play. That’s all we want,” Fareed saiid. 

India and Pakistan have long shared a contentious relationship over Kashmir, with flare-ups along the LoC occurring frequently despite periodic agreements. The current ceasefire too is fragile, its future uncertain. But on this side of the Poonch River, young players are daring to imagine something more permanent — not through diplomacy, but through volleyball, through shared videos, playful rivalries, and quiet tributes to friends lost. And through simple, hopeful wishes — that one day, the people of Kashmir might cross the border not as enemies, but as guests.

“We just want peace,” Hannan repeated softly. “That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”