UN records 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys or aid distribution points run by US group
NEW DELHI: The U.N. human rights office said Friday it has recorded 613 killings in Gaza near humanitarian convoys and at aid distribution points run by an Israeli-backed American organization since it first began operations in late May.
Spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the rights office was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings. But she said "it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points" operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
She said it was not immediately clear how many of those killings had taken place at GHF sites, and how many occurred near convoys.
Speaking to reporters at a regular briefing, Shamdasani said the figures covered the period from May 27 through June 27, and "there have been further incidents" since then. She said she was basing the information on an internal situation report at the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Shamdasani said the figures, compiled through its standard vetting processes, were not likely to tell a complete picture, and "we will perhaps never be able to grasp the full scale of what's happening here because of the lack of access" for U.N.
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THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.
DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) -
Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early on Friday, while another 20 people died in shootings while waiting for aid, the hospital morgue that received their bodies told The Associated Press.
Those killed in the strikes included eight women and one child. Nasser Hospital said the 20 who die who were killed near distribution sites in Rafah and 18 who were waiting for trucks to deliver supplies elsewhere in southern Gaza.
Israel's military did not immediately provide comment on the strikes.
Meanwhile, Israel's military said a soldier was killed in combat in the north of Gaza and it was investigating. Over 860 Israeli soldiers have been killed since the war began, including more than 400 during the fighting in Gaza.
The recent killings took place as efforts to halt the 21-month war appeared to be moving forward.
Hamas said Friday that it was holding discussions with leaders of other Palestinian factions to discuss a ceasefire proposal presented to it by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
Hamas will give its final response to mediators after the discussions have concluded, the statement said.
The Health Ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinians killed in the territory has passed 57,000. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
According to Palestinian witnesses and Gaza's Health Ministry, several hundred people have been killed or wounded by Israeli troops when trying to reach the aid sites since they opened in May.
The military has repeatedly said it's fired only warning shots, denies deliberately firing towards civilians, and says it's looking into reports of civilian harm.
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