Israeli jets pound Gaza's European Hospital, killing six
For the second time in a one day, the Israeli army has struck a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to medics, at least six people were killed in Tuesday's strike on the European Hospital.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a "a precise strike on Hamas terrorists in a command and control center," located in an underground structure beneath the facility.
The claim could not be independently verified.
Unconfirmed Israeli media reports suggested the target may have been Mohammed al-Sinwar, the younger brother of Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar, who was killed last year.
Mohammed al-Sinwar is considered a rising figure in the Islamist group and is believed to have taken over as head of Hamas' armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, following the death of military chief Mohammed Deif.
There was no immediate confirmation from Palestinians on the identities of those killed, or whether al-Sinwar was among them.
Witnesses described a highly tense atmosphere on the ground after what they said were particularly powerful Israeli strikes. The Hamas-run health authority in Gaza reported that more than 40 people were injured in the European Hospital strike.
Earlier, the Israeli military also targeted Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, similarly claiming it was being used by Hamas militants. Palestinian authorities said three people were killed in that attack.
The Israeli army has long accused Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian infrastructure in Gaza for military purposes. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), however, condemned the strike on Nasser Hospital as "unacceptable."
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Yahoo
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31 Palestinians are killed heading to a Gaza aid site, witnesses say. Israel denies responsibility
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded Sunday 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 kilometer (about 1,100 yards) from an aid site run by an Israeli-backed foundation. Israel's military denied its forces fired at civilians near or within the site in the southern city of Rafah. An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with procedure, said troops fired warning shots at several suspects advancing toward them overnight. The military also released drone footage it said was shot Sunday, apparently in daylight, in the southern city of Khan Younis, showing what it said were armed, masked men firing at civilians trying to collect aid. The Associated Press could not independently verify the video, and it was not clear who was being targeted. 'Hamas is doing everything in its power to prevent the successful distribution of food in Gaza," the statement said. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — promoted by Israel and the United States — said in a statement it delivered aid 'without incident,' and released a separate video it said was shot Sunday at the site that appeared to show people collecting aid. The AP was not able to verify the video. The foundation has denied previous accounts of chaos and gunfire around its sites, which are in Israeli military zones where independent media has no access. It was the deadliest incident yet around the new aid distribution system, which has operated for less than a week. The International Committee of the Red Cross said in a statement its field hospital in Rafah received 179 casualties including women and children, 21 of them declared dead upon arrival, the majority with gunshot or shrapnel wounds. It was unclear if any of the dead were militants. 'All patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site,' the ICRC said, calling it the highest number of 'weapon-wounded' people in a single incident since the hospital was set up over a year ago. The head of the World Food Program, Cindy McCain, told ABC News that staffers on the ground were reporting people killed and called it a 'tragedy.' 'Aid distribution has become a death trap,' the head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said in a statement. In a separate statement, Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered that more aid sites be established — and that troops' ground operation be expanded in unspecified parts of northern and southern Gaza. A new aid system marred by chaos Multiple witnesses have said Israeli troops fired on crowds near the foundation's sites. Before Sunday, 17 people were killed while trying to reach them, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry's records department. The foundation says private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on crowds. Israel's military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions. The foundation said in a statement it distributed 16 truckloads of aid early Sunday 'without incident,' and dismissed what it described as 'false reporting about deaths, mass injuries and chaos.' U.N. agencies and major aid groups have refused to work with the new system, saying it violates humanitarian principles. 'The scene was horrible' Thousands of people headed toward the distribution site hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later, witnesses said. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, around 1 kilometer away, at around 3 a.m., Israeli forces opened fire, the witnesses said. 'There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,' said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd. He said he saw at least 10 bodies with gunshot wounds and several other wounded people, including women. People used carts to ferry the dead and wounded. 'The scene was horrible," he said. Most people were shot 'in the upper part of their bodies, including the head, neck and chest," said Dr. Marwan al-Hams, a Health Ministry official at Nasser Hospital, where many were transferred from the Red Cross field hospital. A colleague, surgeon Khaled al-Ser, said 150 wounded people had arrived, along with 28 bodies. The hospital corridors were filled with patients, "but unlike what I have witnessed before, where most of the patients were women and children, today it was mainly men,' a spokesperson with medical charity MSF, Nour Alsaqa, said in a statement. Ibrahim Abu Saoud, another witness, said the military fired from about 300 meters (yards) away. He said he saw many people with gunshot wounds, including a young man who died at the scene. 'We weren't able to help him,' he said. Mohammed Abu Teaima, 33, said he saw Israeli forces open fire and kill his cousin and a woman as they headed toward the distribution site. He said his cousin was shot in his chest, and his brother-in-law was among the wounded. 'They opened heavy fire directly toward us,' he said. An AP reporter arrived at the field hospital at around 6 a.m. and saw dozens of wounded, including women and children. The reporter also saw crowds of people returning from the distribution point. Some carried boxes of aid but most appeared to be empty-handed. Gaza's Health Ministry said least 31 people were killed and over 170 were wounded. 'This is sinful, enough with the humiliation. They humiliated us for the sake of food,' said Ilham Jarghon as fellow Palestinians wept and prayed for the dead. Later Sunday, Israeli artillery shells struck tents sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, killing three and wounding at least 30, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel's military said it was looking into it. The UN says new aid system violates humanitarian principles Israel and the U.S. say the new system is aimed at preventing Hamas from siphoning off assistance. Israel has not provided evidence of systematic diversion, and the U.N. denies it has occurred. U.N. agencies and major aid groups say the new system allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the coastal territory. 'It's essentially engineered scarcity," Jonathan Whittall, interim head in Gaza of the U.N. humanitarian office, said last week. The U.N. system has struggled to bring in aid after Israel slightly eased its nearly three-month blockade of the territory last month. The groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Experts have warned that the territory is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. They are still holding 58 hostages, around a third believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 54,000 people in Hamas-run Gaza, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The offensive has destroyed vast areas, displaced around 90% of the population and left people almost completely reliant on international aid. The latest efforts at ceasefire talks appeared to stumble Saturday when Hamas said it had sought amendments to a U.S. ceasefire proposal that Israel had approved, and the U.S. envoy called that 'unacceptable.' Mediators Qatar and Egypt in a joint statement Sunday said they continued 'intensive efforts to bridge the gaps in viewpoints' and hoped for 'a swift agreement for a temporary ceasefire lasting 60 days, leading to a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.' ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Tia Goldenberg in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Mohammad Jahjouh And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
UN calls for investigation into killings near Gaza aid distribution site
The UN secretary-general has called for an independent investigation into the killing of Palestinians near an aid distribution centre in Gaza on Sunday, amid disputed reports that Israeli forces had opened fire. Witnesses reported being shot at while waiting for food from the centre in Rafah run by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). The Red Cross said its hospital received 179 casualties, 21 of whom were dead. The Hamas-run Civil Defence agency put the death toll at 31. On Sunday, the Israeli military denied its troops fired at civilians near or within the site and said reports to this effect were false. The GHF said the reports were "outright fabrications" and that it was yet to see evidence of an attack at or near its facility. Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making verifying what is happening in the territory difficult. UN Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement on Monday: "I am appalled by the reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid in Gaza yesterday. "I call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for perpetrators to be held accountable." Israel's foreign ministry responded by branding his comments a "disgrace" in a post on X, and criticised him for not mentioning Hamas. Red Cross says at least 21 killed and dozens shot in Gaza aid incident How controversial US-Israeli backed Gaza aid plan turned to chaos The Civil Defence agency said 31 people were killed and 176 wounded "after Israeli gunfire targeted thousands of civilians near the American aid centre in Rafah" early on Sunday morning. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Red Cross Field Hospital in Rafah received a "mass casualty influx" of 179 cases, including women and children, at that time. The majority suffered gunshot or shrapnel wounds, and 21 were declared dead upon arrival, it said, adding "all patients said they had been trying to reach an aid distribution site". Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said its teams at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis also treated people with serious injuries, some of whom were in a critical condition. It added the patients "reported being shot at from all sides by Israeli drones, helicopters, boats, tanks and soldiers", and that one staff member's brother was "killed while attempting to collect aid from the distribution centre". A journalist in Rafah told the BBC a crowd of Palestinians had gathered near al-Alam roundabout in Rafah, close to the GHF's site, when Israeli tanks approached and opened fire. One video posted online on Sunday morning appeared to show Palestinians taking cover in an open area of sandy terrain while what sounds like automatic gunfire rings out. 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"The only source for these misleading, exaggerated, and utterly fabricated stories came from Hamas sources, which are designed to fan the flames of antisemitic hate that is arguably contributing to violence against Jews in the United States," he added. Meanwhile on Monday, health officials and local media reported that another three Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire near the same GHF centre in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan area. A Red Cross spokesman told the Associated Press that its field hospital in Rafah received 50 wounded people, mostly with gunshot and shrapnel wounds, including two declared dead on arrival, while Nasser hospital in nearby Khan Younis said it received a third body. The Israeli military said in a statement that "warning shots were fired toward several suspects who advanced toward" troops approximately 1km from the site. The military added it was "aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being thoroughly looked into". Also on Monday, the Civil Defence reported that 14 people, including six children and three women, were killed in an Israeli strike on a house in the northern town of Jabalia. More than 20 others were believed to be missing under the rubble of the destroyed building, it said. There was no immediate comment from the IDF, but it said in a statement that its aircraft had struck dozens of targets across Gaza over the past day, including "military structures belonging to terror organisations", underground tunnels, and weapons stores. Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza on 2 March and resumed its military offensive two weeks later, collapsing a two-month ceasefire with Hamas. It said the steps were meant to put pressure on the armed group to release the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive. On 19 May, the Israeli military launched an expanded offensive that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said would see troops "take control of all areas" of Gaza. The following day, he said Israel would also temporarily ease the blockade and allow a "basic" amount of food into Gaza. Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. At least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.
Yahoo
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Fetterman blasts Democrats for Biden ‘chaos' at the border
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