Israel kills 18 more starving aid-seekers in Gaza despite declaring 'humanitarian pause' - War on Gaza
The victims were struck by Israeli fire near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centres in the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as in central Gaza.
Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Israeli occupation forces had killed 11 people and injured over 36 others in the past 24 hours in attacks targeting Palestinians waiting for humanitarian aid. This brings the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking food to 1,132, with more than 7,521 others wounded.
Gaza's hospitals also recorded six additional deaths from famine and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, raising the total number of such deaths to 133, including 87 children.
Meanwhile, Israel continued its intense bombardment across the Strip, targeting residential homes and tents sheltering displaced people.
In total, hospitals received 88 fatalities on Sunday—including 12 bodies recovered from under rubble—and 374 wounded.
The ongoing massacres of aid-seekers come despite Israel's declaration of a "tactical pause" in military operations in parts of the Gaza Strip, ostensibly to allow the passage of United Nations (UN) aid convoys.
The move follows mounting international outrage over mass starvation in the besieged enclave and the nearly 22-month-long war.
According to the Israeli army, the pause applies only to areas where its forces are 'not currently active,' including Al-Mawasi, Deir al-Balah, and Gaza City. The pause is scheduled to run daily from 10:00am to 8:00pm.
Israel added that 'designated secure routes' would remain open across the Strip to enable UN and NGO convoys to deliver food and medicine. However, it emphasized that military operations would continue elsewhere.
In its latest update, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Sunday that the death toll from Israel's war on Gaza has reached 59,821, with 144,851 wounded since 7 October 2023.
Of that total, 8,657 have been killed and 32,810 injured since 18 March, when Israel unilaterally broke a two-month ceasefire with Hamas—brokered by Egypt, Qatar, and the US—resuming its genocidal war on Gaza.
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