Footage posted online show that unarmed individuals in Gaza have been shot at since the outbreak of the recent conflict in October 2023, with CIR’s analysis uncovering a wider pattern of incidents.
This document contains links to and descriptions of graphic footage showing deceased and injured casualties, including minors. Here, CIR defines a minor as an individual aged 18 years and under, a civilian as an individual who appears to be unarmed and not directly taking part in hostilities, and considers targeting to be both short- and long-range direct impacts. Some sensitive links have been archived and are available upon request.
The sound of bullets echoes across a dry landscape strewn with the debris of collapsed buildings, clouds of dust rising with each impact [IPIN3291]. In the next frame, the person filming appears to be sheltering beneath a slab of concrete. In the distance, a group of people with backpacks – likely there to collect aid – run and crouch to avoid incoming fire. Further clips show similar scenes: civilians hiding, shots ringing out. One individual is seen running across the screen with a small bag in hand, possibly carrying food. In later clips, crowds carry white bags, some marked with the logo of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
According to the uploader (on 31 July 2025), the footage was taken during an aid distribution in Gaza, where civilians faced gunfire while attempting to collect food [IPIN3291]. According to The Guardian, for thousands of civilians, these scenes have become the ordeal they must endure just to secure enough food to survive.
CIR verified that this video [IPIN3291] was filmed on 31 July 2025, approximately 620 metres southwest of a Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) Distribution Site, at Nuseirat, in the Gaza Strip [31.4546, 34.4109]. It shows apparent ground impacts from munitions and sniper fire in very close proximity to large groups of what appear to be unarmed persons.
In recent months, reports of civilians being shot while collecting aid in Gaza have shocked international audiences and drawn widespread condemnation. These incidents, often documented by video, reveal the use of excessive force and represent clear violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Rule 55.
Yet the deliberate targeting of civilians is not new. On 7 October 2023, Israeli civilians, including children, were targeted by Hamas militants. Since then, CIR has documented numerous instances of live fire against Palestinian civilians. Prior to the outbreak of the recent conflict, there have also been several reports of Israeli soldiers deliberately and unlawfully shooting unarmed civilians, including children.
Not isolated events
Particularly vulnerable groups appear to have been repeatedly targeted: minors, unarmed individuals, people moving through designated safe corridors, civilians holding white flags, and those sheltering in areas marked as humanitarian zones.
Spanning the duration of the current conflict, these shootings may not represent isolated breakdowns in command. The pattern challenges the notion that they are solely the result of groups posing a threat or of battlefield confusion – the attributing of civilian deaths to operational mistakes or misidentification during combat.
For example, the IDF described the killing of 15 medics and civil defence workers in Rafah on 23 March 2025 [IPIN2939] as an “operational misunderstanding” and cited battlefield confusion as a contributing factor. While a commander was dismissed, critics argued that the explanation downplayed responsibility and fits a broader pattern of framing civilian harm as unintentional rather than the result of unlawful targeting.
While analysing shooting footage, CIR found that in some cases, soldiers have been documented mocking civilians, filming incidents, or showing pride or indifference in the face of civilian harm. While not representative of all IDF personnel, such behaviour raises concerns about the broader culture of command and accountability within the IDF.
Recently, the Israeli news outlet Haaretz published an article in which IDF officers and soldiers revealed that they were ordered to fire at unarmed crowds near food distribution sites in Gaza, even when no threat was present. These actions risk normalising violence against civilians and contribute to a wider erosion of the protections afforded under IHL.
Mapping IHL violations using open source
CIR has collected and verified over 100 incidents of different types of shootings since October 2023. The following section will focus on specific case studies in order to highlight a wider pattern of incidents across time. More information is available regarding these incidents upon request.
Several of the following documented shootings involve what appears to be unarmed individuals who posed no apparent threat, including those waving white flags or moving through designated safe areas. Under Rule 47 of IHL, it is prohibited to attack persons hors de combat, defined as those who are in the power of an adverse party, defenceless, wounded, sick or clearly expressing an intention to surrender.
Posing a threat?
Several videos have shown Israeli forces shooting at unarmed individuals, with incidents dating back to the start of the recent conflict. On 11 December 2023, footage [IPIN099] emerged showing at least ten unarmed men running away from two Israeli MDT David² vehicles – a type of armoured personnel carrier commonly used by the Israeli military – with some entering a nearby building as the vehicles advanced. Higher quality footage posted on 15 December 2023 shows the same scene, and what unfolded.
