Gaza's civil defense says 21 Palestinians 'waiting for aid' killed by Israeli forces
Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli forces killed 21 people waiting for aid near a distribution site in the center of the Palestinian territory on Tuesday, June 24, the latest deadly incident targeting aid-seekers.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that 21 people were killed and around 150 wounded "as a result of the Israeli occupation forces' targeting of gatherings of citizens waiting for aid... in the central Gaza Strip with bullets and tank shells" in the early hours of Tuesday.
Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the Palestinian territory. Bassal added that five people were killed and several injured in an Israeli air strike that targeted a house in Gaza City at dawn.
Thousands of Palestinians have gathered daily in the hope of receiving food rations in Gaza, as famine looms across the territory after more than 20 months of war. According to figures issued on Saturday by the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, at least 450 people have been killed and nearly 3,500 injured by Israeli fire while seeking aid since late May.
Many of those have been near sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to rescuers. The privately run foundation's operations in Gaza have been marred by chaotic scenes. UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with it over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
Israel's opposition leader on Tuesday called for an end to the war in Gaza, after Israel announced it had agreed to a ceasefire with Iran. "And now Gaza. It's time to finish it there too. Bring back the hostages, end the war," Yair Lapid wrote on X.
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