Gaza rescuers say 30 killed by Israel fire
AP Image
GAZA CITY: Gaza's civil defence agency said 30 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including 11 who were seeking aid.
The war sparked by Hamas's 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 on Wednesday, 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.
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 the civil defence agency.
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 on Tuesday, as they gathered near an aid centre in the southern city of Khan Yunis 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 on Tuesday, 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 on Tuesday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on March 18, 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.
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Satellite images captured on June 14, 2025, after the Israeli strikes show that the facility appears to remain intact. Piranshahr Garrison The Piranshahr facility, located near the Iraqi border in western Iran, is reportedly a military installation. Satellite imagery shows a small military structure that appears to have been largely flattened by the strikes. An earlier image from Maxar Technologies, taken last month, shows the site with vehicles visible for scale. Tabriz missile base Satellite imagery released on Monday (June 16, 2025) by Planet Labs shows extensive damage at a missile base north of the Iranian city of Tabriz, capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province. The satellite images below, taken on June 3 and June 16, 2025, show the entrance to the underground facility at the Tabriz North missile base before and after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes. The images reveal destroyed buildings and vehicles, along with large areas of scorched vegetation. The images below, taken on June 3 and June 16, 2025, show the support area of the Tabriz North missile base before and after it was hit by Israeli airstrikes. The Tabiz base is a key ballistic missile production unit in Iran. The composite image below, created using satellite photos released by Maxar Technologies, shows a tunnel entrance at the Tabriz missile facility in Tabriz, Iran — first on May 29, 2025 (top), and then on June 17, 2025, after it was struck by Israeli airstrikes. The image below shows another tunnel entrance at the Tabriz missile facility. Kermanshah missile facility At a missile base operated by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) near the western province of Kermanshah, satellite images reveal extensive damage caused by Israeli airstrikes. High-resolution imagery taken on June 15, 2025, shows multiple buildings at the facility targeted, and several structures destroyed. Notably, damage is also visible at two tunnel entrances built into the mountainside, which are likely used to store or conceal sensitive missile-related equipment. IRGC Ghadir site in Tehran The images below show the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ghadir site in Tehran before (May 1, 2025) and after (June 14, 2025) it was hit by Israeli airstrikes. Bid Kaneh military facility The Bid Kaneh military base, located about 30 km west of Tehran, has reportedly sustained damage to multiple buildings. This is not the first time the facility has suffered serious damage. In 2011, a large explosion reportedly killed several personnel believed to have been working on Iran's missile program. Dezful airbase Dezful Airbase, also known as Vahdati Airbase, is located on Andimeshk Road in the city of Dezful, in Iran's Khuzestan province. The base is historically significant as the home of the Fourth Fighter Base, which played a crucial role during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. Sources: Maxar Technologies, Planet Labs PBC, Reuters, AP, IAEA, ISW, IDF, Nuclear Threat Initiative, and Tehran Times
