Monday Briefing: Dozens Killed in Gaza
Israeli forces yesterday killed and wounded dozens of Palestinians who were gathered in northern Gaza to receive aid from U.N. trucks entering the territory, the Gaza health ministry and health workers said.
The health ministry and a hospital director in Gaza City said that more than 60 people were killed in the attack, which took place near the Zikim crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. A nearby field hospital was flooded with victims, including more than 100 who were wounded.
Israel's military said that its soldiers fired warning shots, and that they then opened fire to 'remove an immediate threat,' which it did not specify. It also said the reported toll from the violence did 'not align' with its review, and that it was continuing to examine the episode.
The U.N. World Food Program said that its convoy of 25 trucks carrying food for Palestinians was entering northern Gaza when it 'encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire.'
Chaos has dominated aid distribution in Gaza, where Palestinians are facing widespread hunger. Israeli soldiers have repeatedly opened fire near huge crowds of Palestinians desperate for food and other aid.
Evacuations: After the shooting, the Israeli military warned Palestinians to leave the populated areas of northern Gaza and parts of Gaza City, describing them as 'combat zones.'
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