At least 21 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured at dawn on 16 July when a crowd waiting for food aid surged at a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) distribution point on Al-Tina Street, south-east of Khan Younis. Gaza’s Health Ministry put the toll at 21, while the US- and Israel-backed GHF acknowledged 20 deaths in what it called a “chaotic and dangerous surge.” Health officials said 15 victims suffocated after security personnel fired tear- or pepper-gas, with others dying from gunshots that triggered a stampede. GHF denied using tear gas or firing into the crowd, saying 19 people were trampled and one was stabbed, and blamed “armed Hamas agitators” for inciting panic; it said only limited pepper spray and warning shots in the air were used. The Israeli military has not commented. The crush is the first fatal incident at a GHF site attributed mainly to asphyxiation. The UN human-rights office estimates 875 Palestinians have been killed while seeking aid since late May, 674 of them near GHF centres. Aid workers and eyewitnesses say confusion worsened after GHF replaced advance notices with a red-and-green flag system, forcing thousands to gather daily in hopes of food. Overstretched hospitals in Khan Younis reported patients lying on floors as indirect Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks continue with unfettered aid access high on the agenda.