Gaza doctors' nine children killed in Israeli strike, investigation ongoing
Footage of the aftermath released by the Civil Defence agency showed rescuers recovering badly burned remains from the damaged home.
The Israeli military said it had 'struck a number of suspects who were identified operating from a structure' near its troops.
'The Khan Yunis area is a dangerous warzone. The claim regarding harm to uninvolved civilians is under review.'
The army had issued an evacuation warning for the city on Monday.
The children's funeral took place at Nasser Hospital, AFP footage showed.
Muneer Alboursh, director general of the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, said on X that the strike happened shortly after Hamdi Al-Najjar returned home from driving his wife to work.
'This is the reality our medical staff in Gaza endure. Words fall short in describing the pain,' he said, accusing Israel of 'wiping out entire families'.
Fresh strikes
Bassal told AFP that Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people on Saturday across Gaza.
He said the dead included a couple who were killed with their two young children in a pre-dawn strike on a house in the Amal quarter of Khan Yunis.
To the west of the city, at least five people were killed by a drone strike on a crowd that had gathered to wait for aid trucks, he added.
At Nasser Hospital, tearful mourners gathered Saturday around white-shrouded bodies outside.
'Suddenly, a missile from an F-16 destroyed the entire house, and all of them were civilians - my sister, her husband and their children,' said Wissam Al-Madhoun.
'What did this child do to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu?'
The military said that over the past day the air force had struck more than 100 targets across the territory.
Israel resumed operations in Gaza on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire.
Gaza's health ministry said Saturday that at least 3747 people had been killed in the territory since then, taking the war's overall toll to 53,901, mostly civilians.
'Attempt to sow panic'
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said on Friday that Palestinians were enduring 'the cruellest phase' of the war in Gaza, where Israel's lengthy blockade has led to widespread shortages of food and medicine.
Limited aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip restarted on Monday for the first time since March 2.
The Gaza City municipality, meanwhile, warned Saturday of 'a potential large-scale water crisis' because of a lack of supplies needed to repair damaged infrastructure.
Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Demonstrators gathered yet again in Tel Aviv on Saturday night for their regular protest calling for the captives' freedom, carrying a giant banner that read 'Save the hostages, end the war'.
'We want the war to end now because we see... that the war will not lead to the release of the hostages, and that it will bring more death, more misery on both sides,' demonstrator Jonathan Adereth told AFP.
Early Saturday morning (local time), Israel's National Cyber Directorate said it had received 'numerous inquiries' about citizens 'receiving phone calls in which recordings are played featuring the voice of a hostage, sounds of explosions and screams'.
Israeli media said the calls featured audio apparently taken from a video of hostage Yosef Haim Ohana published by Hamas this month.
'This is an attempt to sow panic and confusion among the public,' the directorate said of the calls, adding 'the matter is under investigation'.
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Scoop
2 days ago
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Postscript On Ethnic Cleansing, Genocide And New Zealand Recognition Of Palestine
My last Political Bytes post (28 May) discussed why New Zealand should officially recognise the state of Palestine: New Zealand should recognise Palestinian state. The heading I gave the post was Reasons for supporting ethnic cleansing, through genocide, in Palestine. This was my attempt at irony; by exploring the reasons that underpin the support for the genocidal ethnic cleansing in order to rebut them. Broadly speaking it appeared to work although, for some, it raised some eyebrows of initial confusion; was I actually supporting ethnic cleansing. It also generated two particularly thoughtful responses that deserve further comment. The first concerned Jews who are horrified over, and vehemently opposed to, Israel's war against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza but also the occupied West Bank. The second involved the two-state solution proposal. Both are worthy of further consideration. Jews against ethnic cleansing (and genocide) Dr David Galler is a retired intensive care specialist who spent most of his medical career in Middlemore Hospital. He was also a longstanding National Executive member of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (including as Vice President and President) while I was its Executive Director. Today he is actively involved in Healthcare Aotearoa with its strong focus on public (population) heath and is a health commentator. Dr David Galler outraged by genocide pursued in the name of Jews like him Coincidentally Dr Galler emailed the Israeli Embassy in New Zealand the day before my above-mentioned post. I reprint it below (with his express permission): I am Jewish My parents were Polish Jews My mother was a child in Auschwitz and survived the Death March She lost her family in the Katowice ghetto and at Auschwitz She arrived in Haifa in 1947 My father escaped Poland in 1939 but lost most of his family and married my mother in Tel Aviv My great father was the Chief Rabbi of Poland I am writing to express my utter disgust at Israel's vile and horrific genocide in Gaza Say what you will, but there's no excuse for what you are doing there – you have destroyed any good will the world had for you and the plight of my ancestors. You have brutalised your own population and actively stoked the fires of antisemitism across the world How dare your PM, a man who has done more damage to Israel than the Palestinians ever could, and your state accuse people like me of antisemitism for criticising your disregard for international law and human rights. Shame on you and shame on your government. David Galler Jews opposed to Zionism is not new Opposition among Jews to Zionism is not new. On 15 March I posted in Political Bytes about the relationship between apartheid and Zionism: When Apartheid met Zionism. Jewish immigration to South Africa from the late 19th century brought two powerful competing ideas to from Eastern Europe. One was Zionism while the other was the Bundists with a strong radical commitment to justice. It is easy to forget that historically speaking, since Palestine in the time of Jesus Christ, Zionism is a relatively new ideology. Further, Jewish opposition to Israel is as old as Zionism itself. A critical turning point in my understanding of Palestine and Israel was reading Maxime Rodinson's Israel and the Arabs first published in 1968. Rodinson was from a Jewish family (his father was a prominent Bundist leader). His central argument was that the Israel-Palestinian conflict was essentially …the struggle of an indigenous population against the occupation of its normal territory by foreigners… I was also struck by his clarifying explanation of the word 'semitic.' The common perception is that semitic refers to the Hebrew language. In fact, it also includes the Arabic language. In other words, Palestinians are as semitic as Jews, but Zionism has monopolised the use of the term to apply exclusively to the latter. Joseph Massad, of Christian Palestinian origin and from Jordan, is Professor of Modern Arab Politics at New York's Columbia University. In Middle East Eye (29 February 2024) he reports that European and American Jews have been at the forefront of opposition to Zionism since its birth as a colonial-settler movement at the end of the 19th century: Jewish opposition to Zionist Israel is as old as Zionism itself. Witness this article published in the UK Jewish News (16 April) on the critical views of some Jewish leaders to Israel's conduct in Gaza now: UK Jewish leaders oppose Israel's war in Gaza. It is noteworthy that many Jews are at the forefront of the large protests over Israel's war against Palestinians in Gaza (and oppression of Palestinians on the West Bank) throughout the world, including New Zealand. It is hardly surprising that David Galler is so frustrated and angry. Ethnic cleansing through genocide is being justified in the name of his ethnicity. The extremist Israeli government has weaponised antisemitism to apply to genocide in his and many other Jews names. Two-state solution: a delusion? The second response came from retired journalist John Trezise who publishes on his Kiwis website. He posted the following: New Zealand should recognise Palestinian statehood as an expression of solidarity with the Palestinians in their struggle for equal rights against the Zionists and their apartheid state Israel. However, I agree with Gideon Levy that the possibility of a Palestinian state becoming a reality is long gone: 'The two-state solution died a long time ago, unfortunately, and it cannot be revived in the present circumstances. We have a government that in the last 15 years did anything possible to destroy this solution; it was destroyed. There are 7,00,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank who will never be replaced or evacuated. Without their evacuation, there is no room, no physical room for a Palestinian state, not for a viable one. Therefore, I think it's time to stop dreaming about the two-state solution. The only vision left, except for an apartheid state, is obviously a democracy between the river and the sea. I don't see any other alternative. It's a long way to go, but at least let's start talking about it. Let's start dreaming about it. Let's start realising that the only choice now is between an apartheid state between the river and the sea or a democracy between the river and the sea.' His quote from Gideon Levy is important. Levy is an Israeli journalist and author. He writes opinion pieces and a weekly column for the newspaper Haaretz that often focus on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Levy is a courageous journalist who truly practices truth to power. He has won prizes for his articles on human rights in the Israeli-occupied territories. In 2021 he won Israel's top award for journalism. In short, I agree with what he says in the above quote forwarded by John Trezise. Levy was right to advocate starting a conversation over a democratic one-state solution from the Jordanian River to the Mediterranean. That is what British Mandate Palestine was (minus the democratic bit) before 1948. Subsequently, but still decades ago, Fatah advocated a secular democratic Palestine on the same landmass as under the Mandate. I agreed with this position then and still do, despite how inconceivable this appears in this moment of historical time. Interestingly, when he was close to Fatah 'back in the day' (when this organisation was dominant among Palestinians) Palestinian intellectual Edward Said advocated a two-state solution. It was rejected by Fatah at the time. However, Said promoted it on a more robust geographic basis than what the Oslo Accords subsequently provided for. He saw his proposal as providing the basis for discussion on transitioning to the single state idea. Rightly so Said was a strong critic of the Oslo Accords because it was well short of this objective. Instead, they resembled the infamous and racist 'Bantustans' of apartheid South Africa. Recognising Palestinian Territories as a sovereign country could be the starting point for a wider conversation about the future of Israel and Palestine My support for New Zealand recognising the Palestinian Territories as the official state of Palestine, however, was in the context of a small step in the right direction towards Gideon Levy's above-mentioned conversation and the importance of solidarity with the victims of repression in one territory and genocide in the other. Final word I will leave the final word to Don Carson who has been persistently and cogently advocating for Palestinian rights since the 1970s. An email he sent me after reading my post prompted this postscript. In his words: Great piece Ian, especially the historical context and demography Only issue I would have is that sanctions on Israel should be the priority; IDF [Israel Defence Force] visitors Close the Embassy Trade and bilateral Suspend Israel from the UN I could not agree more. Ian Powell Otaihanga Second Opinion is a regular health systems blog in New Zealand. Ian Powell is the editor of the health systems blog 'Otaihanga Second Opinion.' He is also a columnist for New Zealand Doctor, occasional columnist for the Sunday Star Times, and contributor to the Victoria University hosted Democracy Project. For over 30 years , until December 2019, he was the Executive Director of Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, the union representing senior doctors and dentists in New Zealand.
RNZ News
2 days ago
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At least 27 Palestinians killed near Gaza aid site, UN demands investigation
By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Crispian Balmer, Reuters A Palestinian youth who was injured by Israeli fire near a US-backed aid centre in the Rafah area, receives treatment at the Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on 3 June 2025. Photo: AFP At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in southern Gaza, health officials said, in a third day running of chaos and bloodshed to blight the aid operation. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near the distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths, on Tuesday local time, came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in Gaza might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. An injured Palestinian sits in an ambulance after receiving first aid. Photo: AFP The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's 2.3 million population, most of whom have been forced to abandon their homes to flee fighting. The Foundation's operation, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has been fiercely criticised by the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles. The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it had distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and stressed that the reported violence had not happened within its site. "This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and control. We recognize the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when traveling to our distribution sites." Palestinians who collected food boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for provisions. "It is complete chaos and humiliation, and people have no choice but to keep coming because there is no food in Gaza," said one Palestinian, who declined to be named, adding he was lucky to have survived the shootings. On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials said at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. The Israeli military has called reports of deaths during Sunday's distribution "fabrications" by Hamas. The military issued new evacuation orders for several districts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza late on Monday, telling residents to move west towards the Mawasi humanitarian area and warning that the army would act forcefully against militants in those areas. Palestinian and United Nations officials say there are no safe areas in Gaza. The territory's health ministry said the new evacuation orders could halt work at the Nasser Hospital, the largest, still-functioning medical facility in the south. Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza following the 7 October, 2023 assault in which Hamas-led gunmen killed 1200 people and took 251 hostages, by Israeli tallies. In the subsequent fighting, more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed, local health authorities say. Meanwhile, recent efforts to secure a ceasefire appear to have stalled. Israel has said it accepts a US-backed temporary truce to release hostages, while Hamas wants a permanent end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. - Reuters
NZ Herald
2 days ago
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Letters: The Government should think twice before giving away general tax cuts
If New Zealand has a bad record for work safety, why is the coalition Government deliberately diluting health and safety enforcement? Our work fatality and injury rate from poor health and safety compliance is considerably worse than that of Australia or Europe. Yet the Government is going ahead with the Act-inspired dismantling of Worksafe's ability to enforce and prosecute offenders. Instead, Worksafe will be more advisory, which means power shifts to employers whether to comply or not. The road-cone hotline is just a populist smokescreen. The Cabinet Paper says WorkSafe will become a more 'supportive regulator', which really means it will be more toothless. This is going to mean less compliance with work safety requirements, not more or better. Cutting corners on health and safety requirements is an easy way to cut costs. It is estimated that our poor work safety costs the economy upwards of $5 billion a year. Why would you actively seek to make it worse? This ideological cultural war against regulations and standards is getting ridiculous. Jeff Hayward, Auckland. A quick solution The speed limit on State Highway 5 around Hawke's Bay returned to 100km/h last week after it had been lowered to 80km/h in 2022. This and every other speed reduction had no factual basis. Most of us saw it as a socialist control. National, on the other hand, look at things quite differently. They continue to seek out progress in any and all things. Those I have spoken to since SH5 reclaimed its 100km/h limit say that they now drive it far safely, because they can watch the road ahead, not their speedometer for fear of a pointless speeding ticket way below what the road is designed to cope with. John Ford, Taradale. Give us the facts Paul Goldsmith is on a mission to make facts, not opinion, predominant in public media. His own Minister of Finance, Nicola Willis, and Minister of Health Simeon Brown recently claimed a 7% increase in health funding in Budget 2025, claiming it beat both inflation and immigration. If that claim is analysed, a significant part of the 7% was to compensate for holiday back pay. It's misleading to make the ordinary punter believe there is actually 7% more to pay for more doctors, nurses and specialists, all desperately needed. Goldsmith has egg on his face for besmirching the media for precisely what his ministers are culpable of. An austere Budget embellished by smoke and mirrors. Will Willis and Brown deny this? Steve Russell, Hillcrest. Settlers emboldened United States President Donald Trump has emboldened the Zionist settler movement's takeover plans in Gaza. Our Government's complacency makes all New Zealanders complicit in the ethnic cleansing by the Israeli Government. Some people still try to dismiss the Israeli Government's current campaign of terror and propaganda as 'anti-Semitism'. It's time Winston Peters sent the Israeli ambassador home. Pauline Doyle, Napier Slaughter will continue Many Israelis will have had relatives murdered during Hitler's Holocaust. They will have seen footage of them being herded to their death, seemingly with little or no resistance. So when Hamas murdered over 1000 innocent Israelis, it is understandable that Israel vowed never to allow history to repeat itself. Hamas is dedicated to the annihilation of Israel. Tragic as the situation in Gaza is, the blame rests fairly and squarely with Hamas and, unless and until they guarantee to lay down their arms, the slaughter will continue. Ray Gilbert, Pāpāmoa Beach. A country of courage I agree wholeheartedly with Glen Stanton and Ruth Coombes' letters (May 31) regarding the silence of our Government on the genocide in Gaza. Palestine should be recognised as a sovereign nation. The actions Israel and the US are perpetuating should be called out by our Government. I feel ashamed of my country, that we don't have the courage to stand and be counted. We used to be a country that had courage. We will be judged by history. Diane Brown, Northcote.
