‘Death trap': Dozens killed in Gaza trying to get food aid
Rafah | At least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded on Sunday (Monday AEST) as large crowds were on their way to receive food in the Gaza Strip, health officials and witnesses said.
Witnesses said Israeli forces fired toward the crowds just before dawn around a kilometre from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation.
AP
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
UN head calls for probe over Gaza Strip food aid deaths
It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass. It is unacceptable that civilians are risking - and losing - their lives just trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, a United Nations spokesman says after health officials said at least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded trying to reach an aid distribution site. "The Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people on Tuesday they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near a distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in the north of the Gaza Strip as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in the northern and southern parts of the Gaza Strip. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in the Gaza Strip might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The head of the UN agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. "The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it," Mencer said. The ten elected members of the UN Security Council asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," diplomats said. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the UN throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favour and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom or France - to pass.
West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Rockets from Syria hit Israel-occupied Golan Heights
The two projectiles have fallen on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights over open terrain, according to the Israeli military. Rocket alarms were sounded in two localities on Tuesday. Reports of injuries were initially not available. The Israeli armed forces responded with artillery fire at the origin of the attack, according to their own statements. A local militia in the southern province of Daraa claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. The Israeli shells, in turn, hit agricultural areas without causing harm to people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in London. This was the first rocket attack from Syria to hit Israel or Israeli-controlled territory since May 2024, the Times of Israel wrote. At the same time, it was the first attack of this kind from Syria since the overthrow of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz says he hold Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa responsible. "We consider the president of Syria directly responsible for any threat and fire toward the State of Israel, and a full response will come soon," Katz said. Syria and Israel have recently engaged in direct talks to ease tensions, a significant development in relations between states that have been on opposite sides of conflict in the Middle East for decades. The Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement that reports of the launches towards the Israeli side "have not been verified yet", reiterating that Syria has not and will not pose a threat to any party in the region, the state news agency SANA reported. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for the projectiles. "We believe that there are many parties that may seek to destabilise the region to achieve their own interests," the ministry added. Local residents said Israeli mortars were striking the Wadi Yarmouk area, west of Daraa province, near the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The area has witnessed increased tensions in recent weeks, including reported Israeli military incursions into nearby villages, where residents have reportedly been barred from sowing their crops. Israel has waged a campaign of aerial bombardment that destroyed much of the country's military infrastructure that intensified under the new leadership. It also has occupied the Syrian Golan Heights since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and taken more territory in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December, citing lingering concerns over the extremist past of the country's new rulers. with dpa
