48 killed as ceasefire eludes Gazans
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 48 people on Monday, including 21 at a seafront rest area, as fresh calls grew for a ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
Gaza's civil defence agency said 48 people had been killed by Israeli forces on Monday, including 21 in a strike on a seafront rest area near Gaza City.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military acknowledged on Monday that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying that Israeli forces had been issued new instructions following what it called "lessons learned".
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid. "Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned," the Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement said incidents in which Gaza civilians were harmed were under review. "The place is always crowded with people because the rest area offers drinks, family seating and internet access," eyewitness Ahmed Al-Nayrab, 26, told AFP, recalling a "huge explosion that shook the area".
"I saw body parts flying everywhere, and bodies cut and burned... It was a scene that made your skin crawl."
Another eyewitness, Bilal Awkal, 35, said "blood covered the ground and screams filled the air".
"Women and children were everywhere, like a scene from a movie about the end of the world."
Approached for comment by AFP, the Israeli army said it was "looking into" the reports.
The Hamas government media office reported that photojournalist Ismail Abu Hatab was among those killed in the strike.
Israeli restrictions on media in Gaza and difficulties in accessing some areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers and authorities in the territory.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that 27 others were killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire across Gaza, including "11 people killed near aid distribution points in the central and southern parts of the territory".
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