Dozens killed seeking aid in Gaza as Israel considers further military action
The latest deaths came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to announced further military action — and possibly plans for Israel to fully reoccupy Gaza. Experts say Israel's ongoing military offensive and blockade are already pushing the territory of some 2 million Palestinians into famine.
Another escalation of the nearly 22-month war could put the lives of countless Palestinians and around 20 living Israeli hostages at risk, and would draw fierce opposition both internationally and within Israel. Netanyahu's far-right coalition allies have long called for the war to be expanded, and for Israel to eventually take over Gaza, relocate much of its population and rebuild Jewish settlements there.
U.S. President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter Tuesday whether he supported the reoccupation of Gaza, said he wasn't aware of the 'suggestion' but that 'it's going to be pretty much up to Israel.'
More Palestinians killed in scramble for food
At least 28 Palestinians were killed overnight and into Wednesday in the Morag Corridor, an Israeli military zone in southern Gaza where U.N. convoys have been repeatedly overwhelmed by looters and desperate crowds in recent days, and where witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire.
The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots as Palestinians advanced toward them, and that it was not aware of any casualties.
Nasser Hospital, which received the bodies, said another four people were killed in the Teina area, on a route leading to a site in southern Gaza run by the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an American contractor. The Al-Awda Hospital said it received the bodies of six people killed near a GHF site in central Gaza. Another 12 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the two hospitals.
GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. The military says it tries to avoid harming civilians and blames their deaths on Hamas because its militants are entrenched in heavily populated areas.
UN experts say Israeli-backed aid group should be dismantled
Israel facilitated the establishment of four GHF sites in May after blocking the entry of all food, medicine and other goods for 2 1/2 months. Israeli and U.S. officials said a new system was needed to prevent Hamas from siphoning off humanitarian aid.
The United Nations, which has delivered aid to hundreds of distribution points across Gaza throughout the war when conditions allow, has rejected the new system, saying it forces Palestinians to travel long distances and risk their lives for food, and that it allows Israel to control who gets aid, potentially using it to advance plans for further mass displacement.
The U.N. human rights office said last week that some 1,400 Palestinians have been killed seeking aid since May, mostly near GHF sites but also along U.N. convoy routes where trucks have been overwhelmed by crowds. It says nearly all were killed by Israeli fire.
This week, a group of U.N. special rapporteurs and independent human rights experts called for the GHF to be disbanded, saying it is 'an utterly disturbing example of how humanitarian relief can be exploited for covert military and geopolitical agendas in serious breach of international law.'
The experts work with the U.N. but do not represent the world body.
The GHF did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots when crowds threatened its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray and fired into the air on some occasions to prevent deadly crowding at its sites.
Israel's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible for anyone to safely deliver aid, and aid groups say recent Israeli measures to facilitate more assistance are far from sufficient.
Hospitals recorded four more malnutrition-related deaths over the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 193 people, including 96 children, since the war began in October 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Jordan says aid convoy attacked by Israeli settlers
Jordan said Israeli settlers blocked roads and hurled stones at a convoy of four trucks carrying aid bound for Gaza after they drove across the border into the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Israeli far-right activists have repeatedly sought to halt aid from entering Gaza.
Jordanian government spokesperson Mohammed al-Momani condemned the attack, which he said had shattered the windshields of the trucks, according to the Jordanian state-run Petra News Agency.
The Israeli military said security forces went to the scene to disperse the gathering and accompanied the trucks to their destination.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted another 251. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals. Of the 50 still held in Gaza, around 20 are believed to be alive.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. It is part of the now largely defunct Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source for the number of war casualties.
__
Khaled reported from Cairo and Melzer from Tel Aviv. Israel. Associated Press writer Stefanie Dazio in Berlin contributed.
___
Follow AP's war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
10 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Israel faces growing global condemnation over military expansion in Gaza
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — International condemnation grew Saturday over Israel's decision for a military takeover of Gaza City, while little appeared to change immediately on the ground in the territory shattered by 22 months of war. Health officials said that 11 Palestinians seeking aid were shot dead, and 11 adults died of malnutrition-related causes in the past 24 hours as the new criticism of Israel came with pleas to allow far more food and other supplies to reach people in the besieged enclave.
Canada News.Net
2 days ago
- Canada News.Net
Witnesses report fatalities amid Gaza food distribution efforts
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip: Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured while trying to reach food aid in Gaza, according to people who witnessed the events and local health workers. Because of Israel's blockade and military attacks during its nearly two-year-long war with Hamas, it is now tough to get food and supplies safely into the region. Hunger is spreading fast, and many families are close to starvation. To help, some countries have started dropping food from planes. However, aid groups and the United Nations say that this method is not only expensive but also dangerous. Many food parcels fall into the sea or land in unsafe areas where Israeli forces have told people to stay away. Still, Palestinians take significant risks in collecting even small amounts of flour or canned food. In one case, an aid dropped by parachute landed in Zuweida, a town in central Gaza. People ran toward the packages, desperate to grab anything they could. Some began fighting each other, and a few used sticks. One food parcel even fell on a tent where displaced people were living, injuring a man. He was taken to a hospital, and has since died. The crisis worsened last weekend near the Zikim Crossing, a main entry point for aid in northern Gaza. At least 16 people were killed and over 130 were injured, according to hospital records. It's still unclear what exactly happened, but witnesses and health workers said Israeli troops had fired at the crowd. In another location, the Morag Corridor, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on thousands of people waiting for aid trucks. A man named Mohammed al-Masri said soldiers shot young men who were trying to move to the front of the line. "They shot many people in the head and back," he said. Hospitals across Gaza reported receiving bodies from different aid sites. One hospital said it had received 10 bodies from Morag and five more from another aid location supported by an American-Israeli group called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). GHF said there were no violent incidents at their sites and that they only use pepper spray or warning shots to control large crowds. However, witnesses and doctors said Israeli forces had shot into crowds again on Monday, this time near the Netzarim Corridor. Eight people were killed, and 50 others were injured. The Israeli army says it only fires warning shots if it feels threatened, and denies knowing of any deaths. The war began in October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing 1,139 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel responded with heavy attacks. Gaza's Health Ministry says over 60,900 Palestinians have since been killed—two thirds of them women and children. The UN considers these numbers the most trustworthy, although Israel disputes them, and it has not shared its own count.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
What to know about Israel's plan to retake Gaza City
Israel announced early Friday that it plans to take over Gaza City, the largest urban area in the territory and one that has already suffered extensive devastation in repeated Israeli raids. Another major ground operation in one of the few areas of Gaza not already under evacuation orders would likely spark even more mass displacement and further disrupt efforts to deliver desperately needed food in the territory, where experts have warned that famine is unfolding. Israel has faced mounting calls from many of its closest allies to end the war, and the plan faces opposition within Israel from families of the remaining 20 or so living hostages held by Hamas and members of the security establishment who say there is little to gain militarily at this point. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says more military pressure is needed to achieve Israel's goals of returning the hostages and destroying Hamas. Not much is left of Gaza City Israel has repeatedly bombarded Gaza City and launched major ground operations there within weeks of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack that triggered the war. Several neighborhoods and key infrastructure have been almost completely destroyed. It was Gaza's most populous city on the eve of the war, home to some 700,000 people, about the population of Washington, D.C. Hundreds of thousands fled under Israeli evacuation orders at the start of the war but many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year. Israel already controls and has largely destroyed around 75% of Gaza, with most of the population of some 2 million Palestinians now sheltering in Gaza City, the central city of Deir al-Balah and the sprawling displacement camps in the Muwasi area along the coast. Israel's offensive has already killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of war casualties. Israel disputes them but has not provided its own. Opposition inside Israel Another major ground operation will almost certainly lead to the killing of more Israeli soldiers in hit-and-run attacks, eroding domestic support for the war, and could endanger the remaining hostages. Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most have since been released in ceasefires or other deals. Fifty remain inside the territory, around 20 of whom are believed by Israel to be alive. Palestinian militants have released videos in recent days showing emaciated hostages, saying they are suffering the same starvation as the Palestinian population. Hamas is believed to be holding the hostages in tunnels and other secret locations and has hinted it will kill them if Israeli forces draw near. Former security officials have also spoken out against further military operations, saying there is little to gain after Hamas has been militarily decimated. Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, reportedly argued during a Security Cabinet meeting that a more sweeping plan to retake all of Gaza would endanger the hostages and put added strain on the army after two years of regional wars. International outrage Israel has come under mounting international pressure in recent weeks as images of starving children have shone a light on the worsening hunger crisis. Twenty-eight Western-aligned nations, including some of its closest allies, called for it to end the war last month. Even President Donald Trump, the strongest supporter it has ever had in the White House, has expressed concern about the hunger crisis. He has said he wants to end the war and return all the hostages, but also that it's up to Israel to decide its next moves. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. Israel has dismissed the criticism, saying it has done everything it can to limit harm to civilians and blaming Hamas for their deaths. Netanyahu has denied there is starvation in Gaza despite eyewitness testimony, data compiled by experts and dire warnings from United Nations officials and major international aid groups operating there. Netanayahu has said more military pressure is needed to get Hamas to agree to release the hostages and surrender. But Hamas has already withstood one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns since World War II. The militant group says it will only release the remaining hostages in return for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at
