Death toll climbs to 31 in Gaza, including 13 killed while seeking aid
Among the dead are 13 people who were reportedly attempting to collect humanitarian aid when they were shot.
Hospitals continue to receive the wounded as Israeli attacks show no sign of easing. The rising number of casualties includes many civilians caught in or near aid distribution zones.
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Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Eight people killed by Israeli soldiers while seeking aid
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that eight people were killed near aid distribution sites in central and southern Gaza on Tuesday, the latest in a series of daily deadly attacks on those seeking food since the specially created Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) took over food distribution on 27 May. One person was killed and 50 wounded when tanks and drones opened fire as crowds were waiting to collect aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the centre of the Gaza Strip, Bassal said. The civil defence said another six people were killed nearby while trying to reach the same aid centre. Asked for comment, the Israeli military told AFP its forces "fired warning shots to distance suspects who approached the troops", adding it was not aware of any injuries but would review the incident. At least one more person was killed near another aid centre in Rafah, the civil defence said. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers. A group of 169 aid organisations called on Monday for an end to Gaza's "deadly" new US-and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme, which they said forced starving civilians to "trek for hours through dangerous terrain and active conflict zones, only to face a violent, chaotic race" for food. They urged a return to the UN-led aid mechanism that existed before Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza on 2 March. Israeli soldiers and army officials told Haaretz newspaper that they had targeted Palestinian civilians who had come seeking aid from GHF.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Two Palestinians, including a child, killed in West Bank by Israeli soldiers: Report
Israeli soldiers killed two people in the West Bank on Tuesday, one of them a 15-year-old boy, AFP reported, citing the Palestinian health ministry. "At dawn today, Tuesday, 15-year-old Amjad Nassar Abu Awad was killed by Israeli soldiers in the city of Ramallah," the ministry said in a statement. The Israeli military told AFP that during an overnight operation in the area, "several terrorists hurled rocks towards [Israeli] soldiers", prompting them to fire "warning shots". "The incident is under review," it added. Around 20 people, most of them young boys, gathered at a Ramallah hospital to mourn Abu Awad, an AFP journalist reported. The boys, who were in tears, touched Abu Awad's face in the hospital morgue. The ministry also said 24-year-old Samer Bassam Zagharneh was killed by Israeli soldiers near the town of Dhahiriya, in the suburbs of Hebron, at dawn on Tuesday. The army told AFP that soldiers operating in the area overnight saw a man attempting to cross the frontier between Israel and the West Bank "in the area of al-Ramadin". "The soldiers opened fire according to standard operating procedures, and a hit was identified", the army said. Two Palestinian teenagers, aged 13 and 15, were killed last week in the West Bank towns of Al-Yamoun and Kafr Malik, respectively. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence towards Palestinians has soared since October 2023. Since then, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 947 Palestinians. Over the same period, at least 35 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations, according to Israeli figures.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Al-Baqa cafe in Gaza was a place of refuge for Palestinians before it was bombed
The beach cafe that was bombed by Israel on Monday, leading to the deaths of 24 Palestinians, was a place that people came to temporarily escape the atrocities and obtain internet connection, AFP reported on Tuesday. Prior to the war, al-Baqa cafe was full of life and a place that was popular with intellectuals and artists. Prior to being bombed on Monday, the kitchens were closed since no food is entering Gaza except limited humanitarian aid, but it was still possible to sit there, with one's back to the destruction of Gaza. A few weeks ago, the cafe was able to offer internet connection again, attracting its pre-war clientele. Maher al-Baqa, 40, the brother of the owner of the cafe, told AFP, "It's one of the most well-known cafes on the Gaza coast, frequented by educated youth, journalists, artists, doctors, engineers and hardworking people". "Young people were fleeing the tragedies and difficult conditions in Gaza," he recalled. "They came for work appointments or just to take a breather. They used to feel free and safe there - it was like a second home to them. The occupier (Israel) betrayed these people and bombed the place without any justification." Still in shock, Mr Baqa said he lost four employees and three family members, including two nephews, in the strike. The Israeli army told AFP on Tuesday that the strike had targeted "several Hamas terrorists" and that "measures [had] been taken [...] to reduce the risk of harming civilians," while specifying that it was an "incident [...] under review". The military maintained it had taken steps "to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance".
