GAZA, Aug 10 — Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least 37 people were killed by Israeli fire on Saturday, including 30 civilians who had gathered to collect aid.
GAZA, Aug 10 — Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that at least 37 people were killed by Israeli fire on Saturday, including 30 civilians who had gathered to collect aid.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 12 people were killed and nearly 200 injured when Israeli forces opened fire near a northern Gaza border crossing used for aid deliveries.
According to Bassal, another six people were killed and 30 wounded when Israeli troops targeted civilians at an aid point in central Gaza. Strikes in the central region also caused multiple casualties, while a drone attack near the southern city of Khan Yunis killed at least three people and injured several others.
Due to media restrictions and limited access to parts of Gaza, AFP could not independently verify the reported figures or details provided by the civil defence and Israeli military.
Thousands of Palestinians gather daily at food distribution sites, including four run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Since its launch in late May, the foundation’s operations have been repeatedly disrupted by reports of Israeli forces firing at civilians waiting for aid.
Israeli restrictions on supplies entering Gaza since the start of the war nearly two years ago have caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, leaving hospitals struggling to power their generators.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under growing pressure to agree to a ceasefire, both to avert famine for Gaza’s over two million residents and to secure the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants.
However, early Friday, Israel’s security cabinet approved plans for a major operation to seize Gaza City — a decision that has drawn international outrage. Despite criticism and reported dissent within the Israeli military, Netanyahu has stood firm, stating late Friday on social media, “We are not going to occupy Gaza – we are going to free Gaza from Hamas.”
Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war, denounced the move as a “new war crime.”
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry — figures the UN considers reliable — Israel’s offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians. Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel left 1,219 people dead, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. — AFP
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