The Gaza Government Media Office denounced what it called a "fabricated" video released by the Israeli military, accusing it of attempting to conceal the killing of 31 Palestinian civilians and the wounding of 200 others seeking humanitarian aid at a distribution site in Rafah in the southern besieged Gaza.
The office released a statement on Sunday condemning the Israeli military's "blatant and exposed attempt" to absolve itself of responsibility for the deaths at the controversial so-called Israeli-American aid distribution centre.
The military released a drone-captured video claiming that "armed gunmen" fired on crowds searching for food, but Gaza authorities dismissed it as part of a calculated misinformation campaign.
"The timing of the video's release, over 15 hours after the massacre, and it's clear manipulation to exonerate the (Israeli) occupation confirm it's a deliberate media effort unrelated to the truth," the office said, questioning why the footage wasn't released immediately if a drone recorded the event.
Field evidence, survivor testimony
Field evidence and survivor testimonies contradict Israel's narrative, showing no local armed clashes as Israeli forces fully controlled the area, the statement added.
"Dozens of bodies lay on the ground, with direct head, chest and abdominal injuries from Israeli gunfire targeting civilians," the office said.
The video, purportedly from eastern Khan Younis rather than western Rafah, where the aid centre was located, exposed Israel's deception, the office said.
The office further noted that the same video released by the army to prove its story contains a scandalous element that undermines that story completely. It shows the distribution of "bags of flour," even though the so-called controversial "Israeli-American humanitarian aid" centres do not distribute flour at all, but instead aid stolen from international organisations such as the Rahma Foundation.
Israel's claim that the Palestinian group Hamas obstructs aid and creates chaos is refuted by daily realities, with Israel blocking crossings and targeting aid trucks, the office added.
History of lies
Israel's history of using fabricated videos to justify crimes, such as attacks on UNRWA schools, lacks credibility with international organisations, the office said.
"Israeli soldiers fired on hungry crowds. The Rafah massacres are documented evidence of collective killing, not excused by a misleading, empty video," it added.
Since May 27, Israel has implemented a controversial aid distribution plan through the Israeli-American "Gaza Humanitarian Foundation," bypassing the UN and international relief agencies.
The plan, operating in southern Gaza's "buffer zones," has repeatedly failed, with Israeli forces firing on crowds, turning aid sites into "death traps," according to the Gaza Media Office and the Health Ministry.
Israeli carnage
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a brutal carnage in Gaza since October 2023, killing over 54,400 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's population.
Over the course of the genocide, Israel reduced most of the blockaded enclave to ruins and practically displaced all of its population.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
