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At least 73 Palestinians killed as Israeli forces fire on aid seekers, Gaza civil defence agency says
Palestinians carry humanitarian aid packages near the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution center operated by the U.S.-backed organization in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. AP
At least 73 Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded after Israeli forces opened fire on crowds of people attempting to collect humanitarian aid on Sunday, Gaza's civil defence agency said, as deaths during aid distribution continue to mount in the besieged enclave.
The largest number of fatalities was reported in the north, where 67 people were killed as truckloads of food arrived near Gaza City. Six others were shot dead near Rafah in the south, where dozens more had been killed the previous day, according to the agency.
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The UN World Food Programme (WFP) said its 25-truck convoy carrying food supplies 'encountered massive crowds of hungry civilians which came under gunfire' shortly after crossing from Israel into northern Gaza.
Israel's military disputed the death toll and claimed soldiers had fired warning shots to 'remove an immediate threat posed to them' as thousands gathered near Gaza City. The army also said it would be reviewing the incident.
'Like hunting animals in a forest'
In Gaza City, Qasem Abu Khater said he had gone to find flour but instead found 'deadly overcrowding and pushing'.
'The tanks were firing shells randomly at us and Israeli sniper soldiers were shooting as if they were hunting animals in a forest,' the 36-year-old told AFP. 'Dozens of people were martyred right before my eyes and no one could save anyone.'
Civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the death toll was expected to rise and attributed the southern killings to 'Israeli forces' gunfire'.
The WFP condemned the violence as 'completely unacceptable'. Media restrictions and access difficulties in Gaza have made it impossible for AFP and other organisations to independently verify the reported tolls.
The Israeli army said this month that it had issued new instructions to its ground troops 'following lessons learned' from earlier deadly incidents involving aid-seekers.
According to the UN, nearly 800 people have been killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May.
Mounting pressure over civilian casualties
The ongoing war was sparked by Hamas's 7 October 2023 assault on Israel, in which 1,219 people were killed, mostly civilians, according to Israeli figures. Militants also took 251 hostages into Gaza.
In response, Israel launched a relentless military campaign that has killed at least 58,895 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
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Most of Gaza's more than 2 million residents have been displaced at least once. On Sunday, the Israeli military ordered people in Deir el-Balah to move south, warning of an expanded operation in an area it has rarely entered.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X that forces were 'expanding its activities' against Hamas in the central Gaza region.
With inputs from AFP
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