ISRAELI FORCES HAVE killed at least 72 Palestinians, including 21 who had gathered near an aid distribution site in central Gaza, according to the territory’s civil defence agency.
It is the latest attack in what has become almost daily killings of Palestinians waiting for aid at distribution centres in Gaza.
Updating an earlier figure, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the death toll had risen to 72, “due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment on the Gaza Strip since dawn today — 21 of them were waiting for aid”.
The Israeli army told AFP that troops had fired “warning shots” at “suspects” approaching them in the Netzarim area where the civil defence agency said 15 people were killed waiting for aid, but that it was “not aware of any injured individuals”.
Israeli restrictions on media in the Gaza Strip and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency.
In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid after breaking a ceasefire amid a deadlock in negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May.
Since then, dozens of Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach distribution points operated by the US and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since it began operating last month.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
The first deadly incident happened on the morning of 25 May, when 31 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire, according to the Gaza Civil Defence agency.
The following morning, Israeli forces shot dead three people, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
In a statement on Tuesday, the organisation said that “to date, not a single incident has occurred at or in the surrounding vicinity of GHF sites nor has an incident occurred during our operating hours”.
Yesterday, Gaza’s civil defence agency said 30 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 11 who were seeking aid.
On Tuesday, the agency said at least 51 people were killed and more than 200 were wounded while waiting for desperately needed humanitarian aid.
The Gaza Strip has been ravaged by more than 20 months of Israeli siege, bombardment and widespread destruction caused by fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups.
The health ministry said yesterday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel violated the ceasefire on 18 March.
The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out in October 2023 has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.
