Latest news with #IsraeliFire
CTV News
4 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Israeli strikes kill 44 Palestinians in Gaza, UN warns of man-made drought
Palestinians carry bags containing food and humanitarian aid packages delivered by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a U.S.-backed organization, in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana) CAIRO/GENEVA, June 20 -- Israeli fire killed at least 44 Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, many of whom had been trying to get food, local officials said, while the United Nations' children's agency warned of a looming man-made drought in the enclave as its water systems collapse. At least 25 people awaiting aid trucks were killed by Israeli fire south of Netzarim in central Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run local health authority said. Asked by Reuters about the incident, the Israel Defense Force said its troops had fired warning shots at suspected militants who advanced in a crowd towards them. An Israeli aircraft then 'struck and eliminated the suspects,' it said in a statement, adding that it was aware of others being hurt in the incident and was conducting a review. Separately, Gazan medics said at least 19 others were killed in other Israeli military strikes across the enclave, including 12 people in a house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip, taking Friday's total death toll to at least 44. In a statement on Friday, the Islamist Hamas group, which says Israel is using hunger as a weapon against the population of Gaza, accused Israel of systematically targeting Palestinians seeking food aid across the enclave. Israel denies this and accuses Hamas of stealing food aid, which the group denies. Meanwhile UNICEF, the UN's children's agency, warned in Geneva of drought conditions developing in Gaza. 'Children will begin to die of thirst ... Just 40 per cent of drinking water production facilities remain functional,' UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters. 'We are way below emergency standards in terms of drinking water.' UNICEF also reported a 50 per cent increase in children aged six months to five years admitted for treatment of malnutrition from April to May in Gaza, and half a million people going hungry. Food aid Elder, who was recently in Gaza, said he had many testimonials of women and children injured while trying to receive food aid, including a young boy who was wounded by a tank shell and later died of his injuries. A lack of public clarity on when the sites -- some of which are in combat zones -- are open is causing mass casualty events, he added. The route near Netzarim has become dangerous since the start of a new U.S.-backed aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), witnesses told Reuters, with desperate Gazans heading to a designated area late at night to try and get something from aid supplies due to be handed out after dawn. The route has also been used by aid trucks sent by the United Nations and aid groups, and people have also been heading there in the hope of grabbing bags off trucks. UNICEF said GHF was 'making a desperate situation worse.' On Thursday, at least 70 people were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes, including 12 people who tried to approach a site operated by the GHF in the central Gaza Strip. In an email to Reuters, GHF accused Gazan health officials of regularly releasing inaccurate information. It said Palestinians do not access the nearby GHF site via the Netzarim corridor. The statement did not address a question about whether GHF was aware of Thursday's incident. The GHF said in a statement on Thursday it had so far distributed nearly three million meals across three of its aid sites without incident. The Red Cross told Reuters that the 'vast majority' of patients that arrived at its Field Hospital during mass casualty incidents had reported that they were wounded while trying to access aid, at or around aid distribution points. Between May 27 and Thursday, the aid group received 1,874 patients wounded by weapons, according to Red Cross figures. The Gaza war was triggered when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,700 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing almost the entire population of more than two million and causing a hunger crisis. By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Olivia Le Poidevin (Additional reporting by Estelle Shirbon and Emma Farge in Geneva; Editing by Gareth Jones and Andrew Heavens)
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
Palestinians killed at Netzarim corridor as Israeli forces open fire at food aid site
Israeli fire killed at least 25 Palestinians including 15 people who were waiting for food aid. Witnesses said thousands had gathered overnight hopeful for aid when Israeli forces opened fire at about 01:00. An additional 10 Palestinians were killed in separate incidents on Thursday. Gaza's civil defence agency said an 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 01:00, 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 Bassam Abu Shaar 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 United Nations (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.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Gaza rescuers say 30 killed by Israeli fire
Palestinians ride on a truck loaded with food and humanitarian aid from the World Food Programme. (AP pic) GAZA CITY : Gaza's civil defence agency said 30 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including 11 who were seeking aid. The war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel has ravaged the Gaza Strip, with severe shortages of food, fuel and clean water. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded 'after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells… at thousands of citizens' who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid a deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. Since then, chaotic scenes and a string of deadly shootings have occurred near areas where Palestinians have gathered in hope of receiving aid. The civil defence agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes on Wednesday, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the reports. 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. The UN humanitarian office OCHA said on Monday that its partners 'continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity'. The civil defence agency reported that at least 53 people were killed on Tuesday, as they gathered near an aid centre in the southern city of Khan Yunis hoping to receive flour. After Israel eased its blockade, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths. 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.' 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 Hamas attack which triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to Israeli official figures. The Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Gaza rescuers say 33 killed by Israel fire
Gaza's civil defence agency said 33 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including 11 who were seeking aid. The war sparked by Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel has ravaged the Gaza Strip and resulted in severe shortages of food, fuel and clean water. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded "after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells... at thousands of citizens" who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. The military told AFP that its forces operating in central Gaza identified "a group of suspicious individuals" approaching "in a manner that posed a potential threat to the forces." It said its troops then fired "warning shots", but that it was "unaware of injuries". In early March, Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza, amid a deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. - Soldier killed - Since then, chaotic scenes and a string of deadly shootings have occurred near areas where Palestinians have gathered in hopes of receiving aid. The civil defence agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes on Wednesday, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. The Israeli military told AFP regarding one of those attacks that its troops were "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities". Later Wednesday, the Israeli army said a soldier -- staff sergeant Stav Halfon -- had been killed during an operation in the southern Gaza Strip. In another incident, three more people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a neighbourhood northeast of Gaza City on Wednesday, Bassal said. 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. The agency reported that at least 53 people were killed on Tuesday, as they gathered near an aid centre in the southern city of Khan Yunis hoping to receive flour. After Israel eased its blockade, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths. - 'Acute food insecurity' - UN agencies and major aid groups have refused to cooperate with the foundation over concerns it was designed to cater to Israeli military objectives. However, the UN humanitarian office OCHA pointed out Tuesday that incidents "are also increasingly occurring along routes used by the UN to deliver humanitarian supplies", not just GHF. It added that its humanitarian partners, including the World Food Programme (WFP), have reported that fuel in Gaza was reaching "critically low levels". "Without immediate resupply, essential services -- including the provision of clean water -- will grind to a halt very soon," the statement added. OCHA said on Monday that its partners "continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity". The Hamas attack which triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to Israeli official figures. The Gaza health ministry said on Wednesday that 5,334 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 55,637 people, according to the health ministry.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Health
- Arab News
Gaza rescuers say 30 killed by Israel fire
GAZA: Gaza's civil defense agency said 30 people were killed by Israeli fire in the Palestinian territory on Wednesday, including 11 who were seeking aid. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded 'after the occupation forces opened fire and launched several shells... at thousands of citizens' who had gathered to queue for food in central Gaza. In early March, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on Gaza amid deadlock in truce negotiations, only partially easing restrictions in late May. Since then, chaotic scenes and a string of deadly shootings have occurred near areas where Palestinians have gathered in hope of receiving aid. The civil defense agency said another 19 people were killed in three Israeli strikes on Wednesday, which it said targeted houses and a tent for displaced people. When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it was 'looking into' the reports. 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 defense agency. The UN humanitarian office OCHA said on Monday that its partners 'continue to warn of the risk of famine in Gaza, amid catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity.' The civil defense agency reported that at least 53 people were killed on Tuesday, as they gathered near an aid center in the southern city of Khan Yunis hoping to receive flour. After Israel eased its blockade, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) began distributing aid in late May, but its operations have been marred by chaotic scenes and dozens of deaths. In a statement on Tuesday, the organization 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.' 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 Hamas attack which triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to Israeli official figures. The Gaza health ministry said on Tuesday that 5,194 people have been killed since Israel resumed major operations in the territory on March 18, ending a two-month truce. The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached 55,493 people, according to the health ministry.
