Gaza aid centres shut, access to area prohibited
Agencies
Tel Aviv/Gaza
Following reports that Israeli forces killed people near a food distribution site in Gaza, all aid centres in the enclave remained closed on Wednesday.
Avichay Adraee, Arabic spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, said on X that facilities would remain shut for 'renovation, organisation and efficiency improvement works,' citing the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which runs the aid operations.
The military warned civilians to avoid approaching the centres, declaring the surrounding roads as combat zones. 'It is strictly prohibited to enter the distribution centre areas,' the spokesman added.
The centres are expected to reopen on Thursday.
The closure comes after the Hamas-run health ministry said Israeli troops opened fire on civilians near a distribution point on Tuesday, killing at least 27 people and wounding about 90.
The GHF had launched its distribution network just over a week ago after Israel, under international pressure, allowed limited humanitarian access following nearly three months of blockade.
Meanwhile, at least 95 Palestinians were killed and 440 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza in the past 24 hours, said the enclave's Health Ministry.
An Israeli aerial attack killed two people and injured others to the west of Khan Younis, reported the Wafa news agency. One of those killed is a 12-year-old boy, it said.
Attack victims were rushed to the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in Khan Younis for treatment, said the agency.
It came after two other children were killed earlier by an Israeli drone attack in southwestern Gaza City.
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