Gaza Strikes Claim Over 60 Lives Amid Dire Aid Crisis
Gaza Strikes Claim Over 60 Lives Amid Dire Aid Crisis
In a devastating escalation of the ongoing conflict, at least 60 people, including 31 seeking humanitarian aid, were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip on Friday. The incidents, reported by Gaza’s civil defence agency, mark a grim continuation of violence near critical aid distribution points as the territory grapples with looming famine.
According to Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence, some of the deadliest strikes occurred near the Netzarim corridor, an Israeli-controlled strip of land bisecting Gaza. Here, 26 individuals were killed while attempting to access food rations. Another five were killed awaiting aid in the southern Gaza Strip. The Israeli army, when contacted, stated its troops in Netzarim fired “warning shots” at advancing “suspects,” followed by an aircraft strike to “eliminate the threat.”
These tragic events unfold against a backdrop of over 20 months of war, with thousands of Palestinians gathering daily at aid sites, desperate for sustenance. Aid distribution efforts have been fraught with chaos, particularly those involving the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began operations in late May after Israel eased a two-month aid blockade. Major UN agencies and aid groups have notably refused to cooperate with this foundation, citing concerns that its structure may align with Israeli military objectives.
Beyond the aid distribution sites, Friday’s strikes also impacted other areas. Bassal reported 14 fatalities from two separate strikes in and around the central city of Deir el-Balah, and 13 more from three Israeli air strikes in the Gaza City area. One of these Gaza City strikes tragically hit a phone charging station, killing three people. In southern Gaza, two additional deaths were attributed to “Israeli gunfire” in separate incidents.
The armed wing of the Palestinian militant group, Al-Quds Brigades, also claimed an attack on an Israeli military post in Khan Yunis, stating it resulted in “dead and wounded” Israeli troops. The Israeli military has not commented on this claim. Verification of tolls and details from the Gaza Strip remains challenging due to Israeli restrictions on media access.
As the conflict persists and humanitarian conditions deteriorate, the latest casualties underscore the profound human cost of the ongoing crisis and the perilous struggle for survival faced by Gaza’s population.
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