At least 25 people killed by Israeli gunshots and strikes in Gaza, some while seeking aid
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — At least 25 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunshots overnight, according to health officials and the ambulance service on Saturday, as ceasefire talks appear to have stalled and Palestinians in Gaza face famine.
The majority of victims were killed by gunfire as they waited for aid trucks close to the Zikim crossing with Israel, said staff at Shifa hospital, where the bodies were brought.
Israel's army didn't respond to request for comments about the latest shootings.
Those killed in strikes include four people in an apartment building in Gaza City among others, hospital staff and the ambulance service said.
The strikes come as ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have hit a standstill after the U.S and Israel recalled their negotiating teams on Thursday, throwing the future of the talks into further uncertainty.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas. His comments came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic.
Egypt and Qatar, which are mediating the talks alongside the United States, said the pause was only temporary and that talks would resume, though they did not say when.
Experts and UN warn of famine
For desperate Palestinians a ceasefire can't come soon enough.
The United Nations and experts say that Palestinians in Gaza are at risk of famine, with reports of increasing numbers of people dying from causes related to malnutrition. While Israel's army says it's allowing aid into the enclave with no limit on the number of trucks that can enter, the UN says it is hampered by Israeli military restrictions on its movements and incidents of criminal looting.
The Zikim crossing shootings come days after at least 80 Palestinians were killed trying to reach aid entering through the same crossing. Israel's military said at the time its soldiers shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians who posed a threat, and that it was aware of some casualties.
Israel is facing increased international pressure to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. More then two dozen Western-aligned countries and more than 100 charity and human rights groups have called for an end to the war, harshly criticizing Israel's blockade and a new aid delivery model it has rolled out.
The charities and rights groups said even their own staff were struggling to get enough food.
For the first time in months Israel said it is allowing airdrops, requested by Jordan. A Jordanian official said the airdrops will mainly be food and milk formula. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in a newspaper article on Saturday that the U.K. was 'working urgently' with Jordan to get British aid into Gaza.
Aid group the World Central Kitchen said on Friday that it was resuming limited cooking operations in Deir al-Balah after being forced to halt due to a lack of food supplies.
It said it's trying to serve 60,000 meals daily through its field kitchen and partner community kitchens, less than half of what it's cooked over the previous month.
————————
Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt
Wafaa Shurafa And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
21 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Dutch to ban far-right Israeli ministers over Gaza
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Netherlands will ban two far-right Israeli ministers from entering the country, in the latest European response to the rapidly deteriorating situation in Gaza, the country's foreign minister said. The ban and other measures were announced in a letter Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp sent to lawmakers late Monday evening, declaring 'The war in Gaza must stop.' The ban targets hard-line National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, key partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition. The pair are champions of the Israeli settlement movement who support continuing the war in Gaza, facilitating what they call the voluntary emigration of its Palestinian population and the building of Jewish settlements there. Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway imposed financial sanctions on the two men last month. Later on Tuesday, leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss a European Union response, including evaluating a trade agreement between the bloc and Israel. The Netherlands wants part of that agreement to be suspended. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich remained defiant. In a statement on social media, Smotrich said European leaders were surrendering to 'the lies of radical Islam' and that Jews may not be able to live safely in Europe in the future. Ben-Gvir said he will 'continue to act' and said that in Europe 'a Jewish minister from Israel is unwanted, terrorists are free, and Jews are boycotted.' Pressure has been mounting on the Dutch government, which is gearing up for elections in October, to change course on Israeli policy. Last week, thousands demonstrated at train stations across the country, carrying pots and pans to signify the food shortage in Gaza. The government will also summon the Israeli ambassador to the Netherlands to urge Netanyahu to change course and 'immediately take measures that lead to a substantial and rapid improvement in the humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip,' Veldkamp wrote. After international pressure, Israel over the weekend announced humanitarian pauses, airdrops and other measures meant to allow more aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But people there say little or nothing has changed on the ground. The U.N. has described it as a one-week scale-up of aid, and Israel has not said how long these latest measures would last. Israel asserts that Hamas is the reason aid isn't reaching Palestinians in Gaza and accuses its militants of siphoning off aid to support its rule in the territory. The U.N. denies that looting of aid is systematic and says it lessens or ends entirely when enough aid is allowed to enter Gaza. Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, are currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. The men are accused of using 'starvation as a method of warfare' by restricting humanitarian aid, and of intentionally targeting civilians in Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. Member states of the ICC are obliged to arrest the men if they arrive on their territory.
CBC
6 hours ago
- CBC
Netanyahu dismisses Gaza's hunger concerns, Trump pushes back
As humanitarian organizations demand major increases to aid for Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'there is no starvation' in the region. U.S. President Donald Trump countered, saying the situation couldn't be faked.
CBC
9 hours ago
- CBC
Canada pledges $30M in Gaza aid, $10M for Palestinian Authority work toward statehood
While Canada is not joining France in recognizing a Palestinian state, it is funding the Palestinian Authority's preparations to lead a globally recognized country that includes Gaza and the West Bank. Ottawa is also adding $30 million to its humanitarian funding for desperate Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. "The Palestinian question is at the heart of any hope for long-term stability in the Middle East," Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand told a major United Nations conference on Monday in New York. "A workable Palestinian state needs legitimate, democratic governance that serves all Palestinian people." The conference was convened by France and Saudi Arabia to find ways to preserve the two-state solution. Canada has for decades been among those calling for the eventual creation of a Palestinian country that would exist in peace alongside Israel. Canada other countries have increasingly expressed the concern that the Israeli government is trying to make a Palestinian state impossible. Some Israeli ministers have called for the population of Gaza to be concentrated in a small area or resettled to other countries. Anand highlighted concerns about Palestinian governance in her remarks to dozens of her counterparts gathered in New York. The Palestinian Authority currently controls parts of the West Bank through the Fatah party. Hamas governs in Gaza. Neither territory has held an election since 2006, and polls by the anti-corruption Aman Coalition think-tank have found widespread concerns about corruption in both governments. Anand said Hamas, listed as a terrorist entity by Canada, can't have a role in governing a Palestinian state. And she said the Palestinian Authority must undergo "comprehensive reforms necessary to govern Gaza and the West Bank." She announced Canada will spend $10 million this year "to accelerate reform and capacity-building for the Palestinian Authority." She also announced aid funding for Palestinians in Gaza. "For this critical aid to reach those in need, humanitarian partners must be granted safe and unhindered access to civilians in Gaza," Anand said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that only a "minimal" amount of aid is being allowed into the territory, and rejected the assertion of multiple international organizations that starvation is happening in Gaza. WATCH | Israel resumes Gaza aid drops: Earlier in the day, Anand said the decades-long conflict is being driven by the duelling narratives through which Israelis and Palestinians perceive the conflict, and that peace requires a shared reality. She also called for Hamas to release its hostages and for Israel to stop "relentless settlement expansion" in the West Bank. "Peace is not only about borders and agreements. It is also about shared stories and understanding that humanize all sides and foster trust," Anand said. Ottawa is co-leading an initiative with Qatar and Mexico aimed at finding ways to build that momentum. "This moment demands political courage and resolve, and we must stand together and choose a different path, one that leads toward a sustainable and a just solution," Anand said. The Trump administration criticized the conference. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce called it "an unproductive and ill-timed" event that amounts to a "publicity stunt" that could compromise talks for a ceasefire in Gaza. The U.S. argued the conference will prolong the war and embolden Hamas, calling it "a slap in the face to the victims of Oct. 7." U.S. President Donald Trump pushed Netanyahu on Monday to allow more aid into Gaza. Earlier Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Ottawa will work with its peers on recognizing a future Palestinian state "that does not include Hamas in any role." At a news conference in Prince Edward Island, he accused Israel and its settlers of a "lack of respect" for "the territorial integrity of Palestine, in the West Bank." WATCH | Carney asked if Canada will recognize Palestinian statehood: Carney asked if Canada will follow France and recognize Palestinian statehood 9 hours ago When asked by a CBC News reporter if Canada will recognize Palestinian statehood, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will continue to support a two-state solution with 'a free and viable Palestine living in peace and side-by-side in peace and security with Israel.' Carney referred to the area as Palestine instead of the "Palestinian territories," the term that Canadian government officials almost always use. He said Canadians "deplore the scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza" and also "condemned what has caused this situation. It starts with Hamas and the deplorable terrorist attacks of Oct. 7." The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs welcomed Carney's rejection of a role for Hamas in governing a Palestinian state. "The path forward begins with sustained pressure on Hamas to release all Israeli hostages and ensure that no actions embolden Hamas to continue its campaign of violence," wrote CEO Noah Shack. He added that Canada should "work with international partners to disarm Hamas and ultimately remove them from Gaza and the West Bank." The Trudeau government changed Canada's policy on Palestinian statehood last November, saying that Ottawa could offer recognition before peace talks conclude instead of first requiring a successful peace deal with Israel.
