….Gaza civil defence says incident adds to growing toll on civilians seeking help.
DEADLY INCIDENT IN NORTHERN GAZA
At least 30 Palestinians were reportedly killed on Wednesday after Israeli gunfire hit a crowd waiting for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza, according to the Hamas-run civil defence ministry. The agency said the victims were gathered near aid trucks when the shots were fired.
The spokesperson told AFP that around 300 people were wounded during the same incident. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed they had fired “warning shots”, but stated they were “not aware of any casualties” resulting from their gunfire at the location, which was approximately 3km southwest of the Zikim crossing.
HOSPITAL DEATH TOLL RISES
Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told AFP that his hospital received 35 bodies after the shooting. Later on, the Associated Press reported that the death toll had risen to 48, according to the hospital’s latest count.
SEPARATE INCIDENT NEAR RAFAH
In a separate development, hospital sources in Gaza told the BBC that six more Palestinians were killed earlier on Wednesday morning near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid distribution centre located in the Rafah region.
However, the GHF told the BBC that no fatalities occurred at or near any of its aid distribution points that day.
ISRAEL’S MILITARY RESPONSE AND POSITION
The IDF told the BBC that a group of individuals they labelled a “gathering of suspects” had been warned to retreat, and “warning shots” were fired from a distance of hundreds of metres away from the distribution site. The IDF added that “an initial review suggests the number of casualties reported does not align with the information held by the IDF”.
UN REPORT: OVER 1,000 KILLED SEEKING AID
According to the United Nations Human Rights Office, over 1,000 Palestinians have lost their lives while attempting to access food aid since late May. This growing trend has sparked concern from global bodies and rights organisations.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza also revealed that more than 150 people have died from malnutrition since the war began in 2023, including 89 children.
GLOBAL WARNINGS OVER FAMINE RISK
A panel of UN-backed food security experts warned this week that the “worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out” in Gaza. This comes despite Israel’s announcement of several “tactical pauses” to facilitate aid entry into the region.
However, Israel insists it is not blocking aid. That claim has been publicly rejected by multiple European nations and UN agencies.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed the need for increased access, saying:
“The trickle of aid must become an ocean. Food, water, medicine and fuel must flow in waves and without obstruction. This nightmare must end.”
DIPLOMATIC MOVES AND POLITICAL SHIFTS
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday for discussions about the humanitarian crisis.
Meanwhile, Canada has joined France and the UK in pledging to recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly session in September, making it the third G7 nation to back the move.
THE HUMAN COST OF THE WAR
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, the ongoing Israeli military campaign has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Among them are 18,592 children and 9,782 women.
The war began following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.