Israeli troops kill at least 30 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza's north, civil defence agency says
"At least 30 martyrs were killed ... waiting for aid north of Gaza City," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that more than 300 were wounded.
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told AFP his facility received 35 bodies of people killed in the shooting.
The shooting reportedly happened near the coast, about three kilometres southwest of the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip from the north.
The Israeli army told AFP the reports were under review.
05:13
The deadly shooting came hours after 14 Palestinians were killed in four other separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, three of which occurred near aid distribution sites, the civil defence agency said.
In two of these incidents, the army said it had fired warning shots at people approaching the aid sites.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties.
More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid since May, most near sites run by the Israeli-and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to witnesses, local health officials and the UN human rights office.
The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding.
The Gaza Strip has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months and now, according to a UN-mandated report, its two-million-plus inhabitants are facing an unfolding famine as Israel continues to restrict the amount of aid entering the besieged territory.
A total of 89 children have died of malnutrition since the war began in Gaza. The territory's health ministry said that 65 Palestinian adults have also died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since late June, when it started counting deaths among adults.
Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed.
International airdrops of aid have also resumed, but many of the parcels have landed in areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading world authority on hunger crises, has stopped short of declaring famine in Gaza but said Tuesday that the situation has dramatically worsened and warned of "widespread death" without immediate action.
Israel's Gaza campaign was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,138 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry.
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France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Amount of aid entering Gaza is 'very insufficient', Germany says
The amount of aid entering Gaza remains "very insufficient" despite a limited improvement, the German government said on Saturday after ministers discussed ways to heighten pressure on Israel. The criticism came after Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul visited the region on Thursday and Friday and the German military staged its first food airdrops into Gaza, where aid agencies say that more than two million Palestinians are facing starvation due to Israel's severe restrictions on the amount of food entering the besieged territory. Germany"notes limited initial progress in the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population of the Gaza Strip, which, however, remains very insufficient to alleviate the emergency situation", government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement. "Israel remains obligated to ensure the full delivery of aid," Kornelius added. 'We can't even find a loaf of bread': Desperation is taking hold in Gaza 02:03 Israel enforced a complete blockade on food and other supplies for two-and-a-half months beginning in March. Though the flow of aid resumed in May under mounting international outrage, the amount that Israel is letting into the besieged territory is a fraction of what aid organisations say is needed. The United Nations has said that 6,000 trucks are awaiting permission from Israel to enter the occupied Palestinian territory. Seven Palestinians died of malnutrition-related causes in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said on Saturday. They include a child, it said in a statement, bringing total deaths among children from causes related to malnutrition in Gaza to 93 since the war began. The ministry said 76 adults in Gaza have died of malnutrition-related causes since late June, when it started counting deaths among adults. The German government, traditionally a strong supporter of Israel, also expressed "concern regarding reports that large quantities of humanitarian aid are being withheld by Hamas and criminal organisations". Although Israel has alleged that much of the aid arriving in the territory is being siphoned off by Hamas, which runs Gaza, the UN has repeatedly rejected these claims. An internal US government analysis seen by Reuters found no evidence of systematic theft by the Palestinian militant group of US-funded humanitarian supplies, and Israeli military officials have told the New York Times that they had no evidence to substantiate these allegations. The Israeli army is accused of having equipped Palestinian criminal networks in its fight against Hamas and of allowing them to plunder aid deliveries. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly confirmed that Israel has armed and abetted local groups in Gaza to fight against Hamas. "The real theft of aid since the beginning of the war has been carried out by criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces," Jonathan Whittall of OCHA, the United Nations agency for co-ordinating humanitarian affairs, told reporters in May. US envoy visits aid site in Gaza: 'This was a public relations visit', analyst says 07:31 A German government source told AFP it had noted that Israel has "considerably" increased the number of aid trucks allowed into Gaza to about 220 a day. Berlin has taken a tougher line against Israel's actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks. The source said that a German security cabinet meeting on Saturday discussed "the different options" for putting pressure on Israel, but no decision was taken. A partial suspension of arms deliveries to Israel is one option that has been raised.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Israeli troops kill at least 30 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza's north, civil defence agency says
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces opened fire on Wednesday on Palestinians waiting to collect humanitarian aid in the northern Gaza Strip, giving a preliminary death toll of 30. "At least 30 martyrs were killed ... waiting for aid north of Gaza City," civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP, adding that more than 300 were wounded. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told AFP his facility received 35 bodies of people killed in the shooting. The shooting reportedly happened near the coast, about three kilometres southwest of the Zikim crossing point for aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip from the north. The Israeli army told AFP the reports were under review. 05:13 The deadly shooting came hours after 14 Palestinians were killed in four other separate incidents in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, three of which occurred near aid distribution sites, the civil defence agency said. In two of these incidents, the army said it had fired warning shots at people approaching the aid sites. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid since May, most near sites run by the Israeli-and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), according to witnesses, local health officials and the UN human rights office. The Israeli military says it has only fired warning shots at people who approach its forces, and GHF says its armed contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots to prevent deadly crowding. The Gaza Strip has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months and now, according to a UN-mandated report, its two-million-plus inhabitants are facing an unfolding famine as Israel continues to restrict the amount of aid entering the besieged territory. A total of 89 children have died of malnutrition since the war began in Gaza. The territory's health ministry said that 65 Palestinian adults have also died of malnutrition-related causes across Gaza since late June, when it started counting deaths among adults. Under heavy international pressure, Israel announced a series of measures over the weekend to facilitate the entry of more international aid to Gaza, but aid workers say much more is needed. International airdrops of aid have also resumed, but many of the parcels have landed in areas that Palestinians have been told to evacuate while others have plunged into the Mediterranean Sea, forcing people to swim out to retrieve drenched bags of flour. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading world authority on hunger crises, has stopped short of declaring famine in Gaza but said Tuesday that the situation has dramatically worsened and warned of "widespread death" without immediate action. Israel's Gaza campaign was triggered by the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,138 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory's health ministry.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Gaza civil defence says 14 killed by Israeli fire
The territory has been in the grip of war for almost 22 months and now, according to a UN-mandated report, its two-million-plus inhabitants are facing an unfolding famine. Gaza's civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal said six people were killed by Israeli fire near an aid distribution centre northwest of Rafah. The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at a group of people who approached its troops hundreds of metres (yards) away from the aid centre and hours before its opening. The civil defence agency said two people were killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid near Netzarim junction, while four were killed while waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza bridge. The Israeli army acknowledged opening fire near an aid site in the central Gaza Strip, where both Wadi Gaza and Netzarim are located, but said its assessment was that there were no casualties. The civil defence agency said an air strike near the territory's sole Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Family in Gaza City, killed two people. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the agency and other parties. The war was triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Of the 251 hostages taken during the attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed at least 60,034 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run government's health ministry. Since the weekend, Israel has observed a daytime pause in military operations on secure routes and in built-up areas to facilitate aid delivery and distribution. The move was announced amid an international outcry over the deepening hunger crisis facing Palestinian civilians.
