Gaza rescuers say 25 killed by Israeli fire

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli fire killed at least 25 people on Thursday, including 15 who had gathered near an aid distribution site.
Civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that 15 people were killed and 60 wounded, while waiting for aid in central Gaza's Netzarim corridor, where thousands of people have gathered daily in the hope of receiving rations.
The Israeli army told AFP it was "looking into" the reports.
Witness Bassam Abu Shaar said thousands of people had gathered overnight in the hope of receiving aid at the US- and Israeli-backed distribution site when it opened in the morning.
"Around 1:00 am (2200 GMT Wednesday), they started shooting at us. The gunfire intensified from tanks, aircraft and quadcopter bombs," he told AFP by phone.
He said the size of the crowd had made it impossible for people to escape the Israeli fire near Shuhada Junction, and dead and wounded were left lying on the ground within walking distance of the distribution point run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
"We couldn't help them or even escape ourselves," he said.
Mughayyir said the casualties had been taken to the Al-Awda and Al-Aqsa hospitals, in north and central Gaza respectively.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points in Gaza, which is suffering from famine-like conditions, according to UN agencies operating in the territory.
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 an aid blockade on the territory amid a deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May.
After Israel loosened its blockade, the privately run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began distributing aid, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes.
UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives.
Elsewhere in Gaza, another 10 people were killed by Israeli fire on Thursday, the civil defence agency said.
Three were killed by Israeli shelling of a residential building in Gaza City, while seven were killed in a strike on Al-Shati refugee camp to its west.
str-lba/acc/adp/kir

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

10 minutes ago

• Yahoo

In pictures: Modi leads record attempt as India marks International Day of Yoga

People across the world marked the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday with mass yoga sessions, community events and awareness drives to highlight this year's theme – Yoga for One Earth, One Health. In India, large events were held in every state and union territory, with prime minister Narendra Modi leading the main celebration from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The beachfront yoga session, held along a 28km stretch of the city's coastline, aimed to double the previous Guinness World Record for the largest yoga lesson – set in Gujarat on this day two years ago at 147,952 participants. Andhra Pradesh's chief minister claimed 303,000 people attended on Saturday morning, though the final official tally was yet to be confirmed by Guinness World Records. Indian military personnel also took part in Yoga Day celebrations, performing yoga on the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier in the Himalayas and aboard naval ships in the Bay of Bengal. The United Nations first adopted 21 June as International Yoga Day in 2014 after a proposal by India was unanimously supported by the General Assembly. The date was chosen to coincide with the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, considered an auspicious time. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Modi shared photos and video from the celebrations at Visakhapatnam. Highlights from today's Yoga Day programme in Visakhapatnam…Urging you all to make Yoga a part of your daily lives. You'll see how transformative it is! — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2025 'Unfortunately, today the entire world is going through some tension. Unrest and instability have been increasing in many regions. In such times, yoga gives us the direction of peace. Yoga is the pause button that humanity needs to breathe, balance, and become whole again,' he said in his address. Officials in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district held a special session held at the recently inaugurated Chenab Rail Bridge, the world's highest railway bridge. #WATCH | J&K: In a blend of nature, engineering marvel, and wellness, the District Administration Reasi today celebrated #InternationalDayofYoga by organising a special Yoga session at the world's highest railway bridge — the iconic Chenab Rail event witnessed… — ANI (@ANI) June 21, 2025 In London, the Indian High Commission held a public yoga session on the Strand in collaboration with King's College London, where high commissioner Vikram Doraiswami read out a special message from King Charles III. 🧘‍♀️ The 11th #InternationalDayOfYoga was celebrated today at the iconic Strand, London!Yoga enthusiasts gathered for open and free yoga session hosted by @HCI_London & @KingsCollegeLon under this year's theme: 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health.' #IDY2025… — India in the UK (@HCI_London) June 20, 2025 'The theme of this year's day, Yoga for One Earth, One Health, reminds us how vitally important it is that the world comes together to secure a happy and healthy future for present and future generations,' read the King's message from Buckingham Palace. 'Year on year, Yoga is increasing in popularity across the United Kingdom, with millions of people in our country reaping its benefits. 'Yoga is a powerful means of enabling anyone to improve their physical and mental health and fosters a sense of wellbeing and togetherness within communities,' he said. CGI New York, in collaboration with @TimesSquareNYC, hosted a vibrant Yoga Session at the iconic Crossroads of the World – Times Square!Here are a few more glimpses from this energizing celebration of wellness and unity. #YogaforOneEarthOneHealth@MEAIndia @AnupamPKher… — India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 20, 2025 In New York, the Consulate General of India organised a large public yoga session at Times Square, drawing locals, tourists, and yoga practitioners to the heart of Manhattan. Held in collaboration with Times Square NYC, the event transformed the iconic intersection into an open-air yoga studio, where hundreds of participants performed asanas beneath towering billboards.

Yahoo

an hour ago

• Yahoo

Iran's nuclear programme: from its origins to today's dispute

A week ago, Israel launched an unprecedented attack against Iran, saying the country was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, a claim Tehran has always denied. Western powers have repeatedly expressed concerns about the rapid expansion of Iran's nuclear programme, questioning in particular the country's accelerated uranium enrichment. The following is a recap of the main developments regarding Iran's nuclear programme, as European foreign ministers are holding nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Switzerland on Friday. - 'Structured programme' - Iran laid the foundation for its nuclear programme in the late 1950s with technical assistance from the United States, when Iran's ruling shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with the US. In 1970, Iran ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), committing it to declare its nuclear material to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). But revelations in the early 2000s about undeclared nuclear sites raised concerns. An 2011 IAEA report, collating "broadly credible" intelligence, said that at least until 2003 Iran "carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device". - Historic accord left in tatters - After suspending enrichment activities, Iran began talks with European and then international powers that would later culminate in a historic deal. On July 14, 2015, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany reached an accord in Vienna. The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed significant restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief after 12 years of crisis and 21 months of protracted negotiations. But the hard-won deal began to unravel when the US under President Donald Trump walked away from it on May 8, 2018, and reimposed sanctions on Iran. - 'Nuclear escalation' - Following the US withdrawal, Iran retaliated by stepping up its nuclear activities as if "a red cape had been waved in front of a bull," said Clement Therme, associate researcher at the Rasanah International Institute for Iranian Studies. According to Therme, Iran "embarked on a strategy of escalation" in a bid to up pressure and obtain help to circumvent sanctions. But Tehran's moves were unsuccessful and came at an "exorbitant economic cost". Iran first began enriching uranium to five percent -- breaching the limit of 3.67 percent imposed by the deal -- before it raised the enrichment levels to 20 and then to 60 percent in 2021, which is a short step from the 90 percent required for use in a weapon. Iran has also increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium, which was set at 202.8 kilogrammes under the deal. Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile is currently believed to be more than 45 times that limit. And Tehran has since exceeded the number of centrifuges -- the machines used to enrich uranium -- it is allowed to have while beginning to produce more material faster by using advanced models at its plants. Efforts to revive the deal have been fruitless so far, with European-led talks on hold since summer 2022. After Trump's return to the White House, talks between Washington and Iran and mediated by Oman resumed in April. While the US president has voiced confidence that Iran would eventually sign a nuclear deal, Tehran has said that Israeli strikes that targeted a slew of military and nuclear sites "dealt a blow" to diplomacy. - 'No indication' - Faced with Iran's rapidly expanding nuclear programme, the IAEA expressed "serious concern" in its latest quarterly report at the end of May. According to the UN agency, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60 percent. It theoretically has enough near-weapons-grade material, if further refined, for more than nine bombs. However, the manufacturing and delivering of a nuclear bomb requires many other steps, including mastering both ballistics and the miniaturisation of the nuclear charge. The IAEA has said it currently has "no indication" of the existence of a "systematic programme" in Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testified to a Senate committee in March that Iran was not actively building a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied having such ambitions, regularly referring to a long-standing fatwa, or religious edict, by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prohibiting atomic weapons. bur-anb/kym/gv

Hamilton Spectator

an hour ago

• Hamilton Spectator

The Latest: 2nd week of Israel-Iran war starts with renewed strikes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The second week of the Israel-Iran war started with a renewed round of strikes despite talks between European ministers and Iran's top diplomat. Friday's talks, which aimed at de-escalating the fighting between the two adversaries, lasted for four hours in Geneva, but failed to produce a breakthrough. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump continued to weigh his country's military involvement and concerns spiked over potential strikes on nuclear reactors. Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn't interested in negotiating with the U.S. while Israel continued attacking. Here is the latest: Tehran vows to make Grossi 'pay' A senior adviser for Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, vowed in a social media post Saturday to make the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency 'pay' once the war with Israel is over. Ali Larijani's threat comes as IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has become a major target for many Iranian officials who say his conflicting statements about the status of Iran's nuclear program incited the Israeli surprise attack last week. Grossi told the United Nations' Security Council Friday that while Iran has the material to build a nuclear bomb, it appears they have no plans to do so. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .