Dozens killed in fresh Israeli strikes on Gaza, including 36 at shelter
Israeli strikes have killed at least 52 people in the Gaza Strip, including 36 in a school-turned-shelter that was struck as people slept, health officials said.
The strike on the school in the Daraj area of Gaza City also wounded dozens of people, said Fahmy Awad, head of the ministry's emergency service.
Advertisement
He said a father and his five children were among the dead. The Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals in Gaza City confirmed the overall toll.
Mr Awad said the school was hit three times while people slept, setting their belongings ablaze.
Footage circulating online showed rescuers struggling to extinguish fires and recovering charred remains.
The Israeli military said it targeted a militant command and control centre inside the school that Hamas and Islamic Jihad used to gather intelligence for attacks. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in residential areas.
Advertisement
A separate strike on a home in Jabalya in northern Gaza killed 16 members of the same family, including five women and two children, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies.
More than 50 people have been killed in fresh strikes (AP)
Palestinian militants meanwhile fired three projectiles from Gaza, two of which fell short within the territory and a third that was intercepted, according to the Israeli military.
Israel renewed its offensive in March after ending a ceasefire with Hamas. It has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed, and until it returns the remaining 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, from the attack on October 7 2023 that ignited the war.
A trickle of humanitarian aid was allowed into Gaza by the Israelis last week after they had blocked all food, medicine, fuel or other goods from entering for two and a half months.
Advertisement
Aid groups have warned of famine and say the supplies that have come in are nowhere near enough to meet mounting needs.
Families have had to flee multiple times (AP)
A new aid system supported by Israel and the United States but rejected by UN agencies and aid groups is expected to begin operations as soon as Monday, despite the resignation of the American leading the effort, who said it would not be able to operate independently.
Israel says it plans to seize full control of Gaza and facilitate what it describes as the voluntary migration of its over two million population, a plan rejected by Palestinians and much of the international community.
Israel's military campaign has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and internally displaced some 90% of its population. Many have fled multiple times.
Advertisement
Israel plans to roll out a new aid distribution system run by a group known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, made up of former humanitarian, government and military officials, that would set up distribution points guarded by private security firms. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off assistance, without providing evidence.
The foundation said in a statement that it would begin delivering aid on Monday and would reach a million Palestinians – around half of Gaza's population – by the end of the week.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the planned US-backed system, saying it would force even more displacement, fail to meet local needs and violate humanitarian principles that prohibit a warring party from controlling humanitarian assistance.
They also say there is no evidence of systematic diversion of aid by militants.
Advertisement
Jake Wood, the American heading the foundation, unexpectedly resigned on Sunday, saying it had become clear that the foundation would not be allowed to operate independently. It is not clear who is funding the group.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 people in the 2023 attack. More than half the hostages have been returned in ceasefire agreements or other deals, eight have been rescued, and Israeli forces have recovered the remains of dozens more.
The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza, rendering entire areas uninhabitable. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to shelter in schools and squalid tent camps for well over a year.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed around 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry. It says more than half the dead are women and children but does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Karoline Leavitt escalates war against 'fake news' BBC after dramatic back-and-forth on Hamas
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has escalated her attacks against the BBC for its recent coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. Leavitt, 27, said that the BBC took 'the word of Hamas ' after it reported on a shooting at an aid station in Gaza on Sunday. The Hamas-backed Civil Defence agency claims there were between 21 to 31 killed after Israeli forces opened up fire at an aid station near Rafah on Sunday. Over 170 were reported injured, though Israel denies it was involved. 'Unfortunately, unlike some in the media we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth. We like to look into it when they speak, unlike the BBC,' Leavitt said during a press briefing on Tuesday after getting questioned about the incident. She accused the British outlet of writing 'multiple headlines' that she took issue with. ' Israeli tank kills 26, Israeli tank kills 21, Israeli gunfire kills 31, Red Cross says 21 people were killed in an aid incident,' Leavitt said of the BBC's changing headline. 'And then oh wait they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying we reviewed the footage and couldn't find any evidence of anything,' the secretary charged. 'So we're going to look into reports before we confirm them from this podium or before we take action and I suggest that journalists who actually care about truth do the same to reduce the amount of disinformation that's going around the globe on this front,' she continued, rebuking the outlet. The tongue lashing was so fierce that BBC put out a statement refuting the Trump administration official's claims, calling them 'completely wrong.' 'The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism,' a BBC spokesperson wrote. Leavitt then hit back again at the BBC Thursday on X. 'Me: The White House doesn't take Hamas's word as total truth like the fake news BBC. Fake News BBC: We didn't do that! We just quoted the Hamas-run health ministry to run with our false claims,' Leavitt wrote. What originally set Leavitt off on her tirade against BBC's reporting on Hamas earlier this week was a question from the press corps on the incident. The administration is currently looking into the reports and the 'veracity of them,' Leavitt said addressing the substance of the attacks before ripping into the British outlet. Though the BBC admitted to changing its story's headline to reflect the updated totals from Hamas authorities, it claimed it later ran with the appropriate numbers. The report 'always clearly attributed, from the first figure of 15 from medics, through the 31 killed from the Hamas-run health ministry to the final Red Cross statement of 'at least 21' at their field hospital,' the company's statement says. Reports vary, with a Reuters headline indicating that over 30 were killed while a New York Times report indicates over 20 were slain. The BBC even admits in its statement that reports remain unclear about the exact death total resulting from the Sunday attack. The Gaza Health Ministry, which has consistently reported the numbers of those killed in the war with Israel since the beginning of the conflict, is run by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the U.S. It claims that 31 were killed in the tragedy. The Red Cross, meanwhile, claimed that 21 were killed at the aid station. 'International journalists are not currently allowed into Gaza and we would welcome the support of the White House in our call for immediate access,' the BBC's statement added.
Reuters
3 hours ago
- Reuters
Remains of Canadian hostage returned to Israel, Canadian PM Carney says
TORONTO, June 5 (Reuters) - The remains of Judih Weinstein, a Canadian citizen who was taken hostage by Hamas during its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, have been returned to Israel, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a statement on Thursday. "As the family grieves the unimaginable loss of both Ms. Weinstein and her husband, Gadi Haggai, who was murdered in that same horrific attack, the return of their remains is a time to begin to heal and to rest," Carney said.
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Without meat, families in Gaza struggle to celebrate Islam's Eid al-Adha holiday
With the Gaza Strip devastated by war and siege, Palestinians struggled Thursday to celebrate one of the most important Islamic holidays. To mark Eid al-Adha – Arabic for the Festival of Sacrifice -- Muslims traditionally slaughter a sheep or cow and give away part of the meat to the poor as an act of charity. Then they have a big family meal with sweets. Children get gifts of new clothes. But no fresh meat has entered Gaza for three months. Israel has blocked shipments of food and other aid to pressure Hamas to release hostages taken in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war. And nearly all the territory's homegrown sheep, cattle and goats are dead after 20 months of Israeli bombardment and ground offensives. Some of the little livestock left was on sale at a makeshift pen set up in the vast tent camp of Muwasi in the southern part of Gaza's Mediterranean coast. But no one could afford to buy. A few people came to look at the sheep and goats, along with a cow and a camel. Some kids laughed watching the animals and called out the prayers connected to the holiday. 'I can't even buy bread. No meat, no vegetables,' said Abdel Rahman Madi. 'The prices are astronomical.' The Eid commemorates the test of faith of the Prophet Ibrahim – Abraham in the Bible – and his willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of submission to God. The day is usually one of joy for children – and a day when businesses boom a bit as people buy up food and gifts. But prices for everything have soared amid the blockade, which was only slightly eased two weeks ago. Meat and most fresh fruits and vegetables disappeared from the markets weeks ago. At a street market in the nearby city of Khan Younis, some stalls had stuffed sheep toys and other holiday knickknacks and old clothes. But most people left without buying any gifts after seeing the prices. 'Before, there was an Eid atmosphere, the children were happy … Now with the blockade, there's no flour, no clothes, no joy,' said Hala Abu Nqeira, a woman looking through the market. 'We just go to find flour for our children. We go out every day looking for flour at a reasonable price, but we find it at unbelievable prices.' Israel's campaign against Hamas has almost entirely destroyed Gaza's ability to feed itself. The U.N. says 96% of the livestock and 99% of the poultry are dead. More than 95% of Gaza's prewar cropland is unusable, either too damaged or inaccessible inside Israeli military zones, according to a land survey published this week by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization. Israel barred all food and other supplies from entering Gaza for more than two months. It eased the blockade two weeks ago to allow a trickle of aid trucks in for the U.N. to distribute. The trucks have brought in some food items, mainly flour. But the U.N. says it has struggled to delivery much of the incoming aid because of looting or Israeli military restrictions. Almost the entire population of more than 2 million people have been driven from their homes, and most have had to move multiple times to escape Israeli offensives. Rasha Abu Souleyma said she recently slipped back to her home in Rafah -- from which her family had fled to take refuge in Khan Younis -- to find some possessions she'd left behind. She came back with some clothes, pink plastic sunglasses and bracelets that she gave to her two daughters as Eid gifts. 'I can't buy them clothes or anything,' the 38-year-old said. 'I used to bring meat in Eid so they would be happy, but now we can't bring meat, and I can't even feed the girls with bread.' Near her, a group of children played on makeshift swings made of knotted and looped ropes. Karima Nejelli, a displaced woman from Rafah, pointed out that people in Gaza had now marked both Eid al-Adha and the other main Islamic holiday, Eid al-Fitr, two times each under the war. 'During these four Eids, we as Palestinians did not see any kind of joy, no sacrifice, no cookies, no buying Eid clothes or anything.' — Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
