Israeli fire kills 30 in Gaza, medics say, as attention shifts to Iran
Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 30 people across the
Gaza Strip
on Wednesday, local health authorities said, as some Palestinians there said their plight was being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and
Iran
.
The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since
Israel
partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months.
Medics said separate airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced
Palestinians
awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said.
READ MORE
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was 'operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities' and 'feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm'.
On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May.
Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran.
'People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war. There is little news about Gaza these days,' said Adel, a resident of Gaza City.
'Whoever doesn't die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won,' he told Reuters via a chat app.
Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces.
It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas.
Hamas
denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza.
The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies.
Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis.
The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies.
Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas.
'We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people,' said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza.
'We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten,' he said. —Reuters
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Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Irish Times
Israeli fire kills 30 in Gaza, medics say, as attention shifts to Iran
Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities said, as some Palestinians there said their plight was being forgotten as attention shifted to the air war between Israel and Iran . The deaths included the latest in near daily killings of Palestinians seeking aid in the three weeks since Israel partially lifted a total blockade on Gaza that it had imposed for almost three months. Medics said separate airstrikes on homes in the Maghazi refugee camp and Zeitoun neighbourhood in central and northern Gaza killed at least 14 people, while five others were killed in an airstrike on a tent encampment in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. Eleven others were killed in Israeli fire at crowds of displaced Palestinians awaiting aid trucks brought in by the United Nations along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, medics said. READ MORE The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it was looking into the reported deaths of people waiting for food. Regarding the other strikes, it said it was 'operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities' and 'feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm'. On Tuesday, Gaza's health ministry said 397 Palestinians among those trying to get food aid were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded since aid deliveries restarted in late May. Some in Gaza expressed concern that the latest escalations in the war between Israel and Hamas that began in October 2023 would be overlooked as the focus moved to Israel's five-day-old conflict with Iran. 'People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war. There is little news about Gaza these days,' said Adel, a resident of Gaza City. 'Whoever doesn't die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won,' he told Reuters via a chat app. Israel has been channelling much of the aid it is now allowing into Gaza through a new US and Israeli-backed group, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which operates a handful of distribution sites in areas guarded by Israeli forces. It has said it will continue to allow aid into Gaza, home to more than 2 million people, while ensuring aid does not get into the hands of Hamas. Hamas denies seizing aid, saying Israel uses hunger as a weapon against the population in Gaza. The Gaza war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli allies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, displaced almost all the territory's residents, and caused a severe hunger crisis. The assault has led to accusations of genocide and war crimes, which Israel denies. Palestinians in Gaza have been closely following Israel's air war with Iran, long a major supporter of Hamas. 'We are maybe happy to see Israel suffer from Iranian rockets, but at the end of the day, one more day in this war costs the lives of tens of innocent people,' said 47-year-old Shaban Abed, a father of five from northern Gaza. 'We just hope that a comprehensive solution could be reached to end the war in Gaza, too. We are being forgotten,' he said. —Reuters
RTÉ News
a day ago
- RTÉ News
Gaza rescuers say 30 killed by Israeli fire in Palestine
Gaza's civil defence agency said 30 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Palestinian territory, including 11 who were seeking aid. The war sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack on Israel has ravaged the Gaza Strip, with severe shortages of food, fuel and clean water. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded "after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells... at thousands of citizens" who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. Since then, chaotic scenes and a string of deadly shootings have occurred near areas where Palestinians have gathered in hope of receiving aid. The civil defence agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was "looking into" the reports. The UN humanitarian office OCHA said on Monday that its partners "continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity". The civil defence agency reported that at least 53 people were killed yesterday, as they gathered near an aid centre in the southern city of Khan Younis hoping to receive flour. After Israel eased its blockade, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths. In a statement, the organisation said that "to date, not a single incident has occurred at or in the surrounding vicinity of GHF sites nor has an incident occurred during our operating hours". UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. The Hamas attack which triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to Israeli official figures. The Gaza health ministry said that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on 18 March, ending a two-month truce. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Gaza on brink of unprecedented human catastrophe, warns Irish Red Cross
The Irish Red Cross has issued an urgent alert, warning that the Gaza Strip is 'on the brink of an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe.' The aid agency which has been providing direct support to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says volunteers in Gaza are operating 'under extreme and life-threatening conditions.' The Palestine Red Crescent Society currently has 1,600 volunteers and staff delivering emergency relief and medical care in Gaza, despite ongoing bombardments by Israel , severe restrictions on aid entry, and critical shortages of fuel, food, and medicine. The Palestine Red Crescent has said Gaza is just weeks away from a complete collapse of vital services. It said only 12 of 29 medical points, clinics, and hospitals remain operational, all at limited capacity. READ MORE It also said shortages include 77 per cent of primary care medicines, 87 per cent of orthopaedic supplies, and 100 per cent of chronic disease medications. 'The situation in Gaza is beyond critical: it is a race against time,' said Irish Red Cross secretary general Deirdre Garvey. 'We are seeing complete unavailability of essential medications, a dire food shortage that risks widespread food insecurity and a crippling fuel crisis that has grounded over half of PRCS's ambulances.' [ 'It was a massacre': At least 51 Palestinians killed in Gaza while waiting for food trucks, say medics Opens in new window ] Palestinians say Israeli forces have repeatedly opened fire on crowds trying to reach food distribution points run by a separate US and Israeli-backed aid group since the centres opened last month. The Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah, operated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, reported its largest mass casualty incident on Monday with 244 cases received, and 172 the day before. It said they had been shot or injured by explosives at or near aid distribution centres. The hospital was operating at 195 per cent bed occupancy on Tuesday. The PRCS said more than two million people are now living in inhumane conditions, with many displaced numerous times and sheltering in overcrowded camps or in the open, lacking clean water, food, or sanitation. It food stocks are fully depleted and other supplies such as tents, blankets, and hygiene kits have run out. In recent weeks, forced evacuations, intensified attacks on medical missions, and the continued closure of border crossings have sharply increased humanitarian and medical needs. The PRCS estimates that their ability to provide even minimum health services could end within two months. 'Every day without adequate aid means more lives lost, more suffering endured. An entire population is facing starvation and preventable deaths. We must act now and without delay to prevent further unimaginable suffering and loss of life,' said Ms Garvey.
