Gaza Aid Queues Turn Deadly Again As Over 60 Killed, Hours After Similar Incident
At least 67 Palestinians were killed in Gaza awaiting aid. Israeli military evacuation orders in central Gaza sparked fears among families of Israeli hostages.
At least 67 Palestinians have been killed and several were injured while waiting for aid in Gaza, according to hospital officials, Sky News reported.
The director of the Al-Shifa hospital said that the latest deaths occurred in Al-Sudaniya in Northern Gaza.
Four hospitals in the area reported receiving multiple casualties, with Al-Shifa hospital alone reporting 45 fatalities.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed while waiting for food and aid in recent weeks.
As per Sky News, more than 30 were killed in the Teina area of the Gaza Strip on Saturday.
This comes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders on Sunday in areas of central Gaza packed with displaced Palestinians, where it hasn't operated so far in its war with Hamas.
The military's evacuation order, potentially signalling an attack on Deir al-Balah neighbourhoods, has sparked anxiety among families of Israeli hostages who believe their loved ones may be held captive in the area.
Palestinian health officials warned that hundreds may soon die due to the influx of patients with dizziness and exhaustion caused by severe food shortages and a near-total collapse of aid deliveries.
'We warn that hundreds of people whose bodies have wasted away are at risk of imminent death due to hunger," the health ministry, which Hamas controls, said, Reuters reported.
The United Nations also said on Sunday that civilians were starving and needed an urgent influx of aid.
The Israeli military dropped leaflets over several districts in southwest Deir al-Balah, ordering hundreds of thousands of displaced Gazans sheltering in the area to evacuate their homes and move further south.
'The (Israeli) Defence Forces continues to operate with great force to destroy the enemy's capabilities and terrorist infrastructure in the area," the military said, adding that it had not entered these districts during the current conflict.
Israeli sources say the army's hesitation to operate in the area is due to suspicions that Hamas is holding hostages there, with at least 20 of the remaining 50 hostages believed to be alive. Families of the hostages are pressing the army for answers.
'Can anyone (promise) to us that this decision will not come at the cost of losing our loved ones?" the families said in a statement. Some Palestinians suggested the move on Deir al-Balah might be an attempt to put pressure on Hamas to make more concessions in long-running ceasefire negotiations.
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