Over 50 more Palestinians including children killed in Israeli airstrikes

Gulf Today

2 days ago

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians including four children in the Gaza Strip, while 24 others were fatally shot on their way to an aid distribution site, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said on Saturday.
A Palestinian-American man was beaten to death by settlers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and a second man was shot dead, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement, in a confrontation overnight.
The latest deaths came after no signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks following two days of meetings between US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump had said he was closing in on an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would bring the release of more hostages from Gaza and potentially wind down the war.
The four children were among at least 13 people killed in central Gaza's Deir Al Balah in the airstrikes starting late on Friday, officials at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said. Fifteen others died in Khan Younis in the south, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Intense airstrikes continued on Saturday evening in Gaza.
The 21-month war has left much of Gaza's population of over 2 million reliant on outside aid while food security experts warn of famine. Israel blocked and then restricted aid entry after ending the latest ceasefire in March.
Palestinians mourn a relative, who was killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid near a distribution point in Rafah, at Nasser Hospital on Saturday. Reuters
The 24 shot dead were on their way to a distribution site run by an Israeli-backed American organization near Rafah in southern Gaza, hospital officials and witnesses said. Israel's military said it fired warning shots toward people it said were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching. It said it was not aware of any casualties.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said no incident occurred near its sites.
Abdullah Al Haddad said he was 200 metres from the aid distribution site run by the GHF close to the Shakoush area when an Israeli tank started firing at crowds of Palestinians. "We were together, and they shot us at once,' he said, writhing in pain from a leg wound at Nasser Hospital.
Mohammed Jamal Al Sahloo, another witness, said Israel's military had ordered them to proceed to the site when the shooting started.
Sumaya Al Sha'er's 17-year-old son, Nasir, was killed in the shooting, hospital officials said. "He said to me, 'Mom, you don't have flour and today I'll go and bring you flour, even if I die, I'll go and get it,'' she said. "But he never came back home.'
Until then, she said, she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she thought it was too dangerous.
Palestinian woman Somaya Al Shaer, with her daughter, mourns her son, who was killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid near a distribution point in Rafah. Reuters
In a separate effort, the UN and aid groups say they struggle to distribute humanitarian aid because of Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting.
The first fuel — 150,000 liters — entered Gaza this week after 130 days, a joint statement by U.N. aid bodies said, calling it a small amount for the "the backbone of survival in Gaza." Fuel runs hospitals, water systems, transport and more, the statement said.
Friends and relatives paid their respects a day after Palestinian-American Seifeddin Musalat and local friend Mohammed al-Shalabi were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank by Israeli settlers, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Musalat was beaten to death on his family's land, his cousin Diana Halum told reporters. The settlers then blocked paramedics from reaching him, she said.2
Musalat, born in Florida, was visiting his family home and arrived on June 4. "He was a kind, hard-working and deeply respected young man,' Halum said.
The Musalat family is demanding that the US State Department investigate his death and hold the settlers accountable. The State Department said it was aware of the reports of his death but had no comment out of respect for the family.
A witness to the beating, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid Israeli retaliation, said the settlers descended on Palestinian lands and "started shooting at us, beating by sticks and throwing rocks."
Associated Press