Eleven killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid, rescuers say

Eleven Palestinians in search of help were among at least 33 killed by Israeli shots and strikes Gaza on Wednesday, according to rescuers and doctors.

A spokesperson for the Civil Defense Agency led by Hamas said that Israeli forces “had opened fire and launched several shells” thousands of people who were lining up for food supplies desperately necessary on the main road to Salah Al-Din.

The Israeli army said that troops operating in the Nuseirat region fired on guard during the night after a group approached them in a manner that posed a potential threat, but that it was not aware of any injury.

19 other people were killed in three Israeli air strikes in the north and southern Gaza, according to Civil Defense Agency.

They understood eight people who died when a house was struck in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City, he said.

Regarding air strikes, the Israeli army said it “operated to dismantle the military capacities of Hamas” in the territory.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Gaza Ministry of Health said on Wednesday afternoon that at least 140 people were killed in the previous 24 hours.

The ministry reported on Tuesday that 51 people had been killed while waiting for help in the southern city of Khan Younis, while the UN cited partner organizations working on health as passing the number of deaths at over 60.

Eyewitness told the BBC that Israeli tanks and drones had opened fire while the crowd gathered near a charitable community center and a warehouse belonging to the United Nations World Food Program.

The Israeli army acknowledged that its troops were in the region and said the details of the incident were being examined.

In a separate incident on Tuesday, the Civil Defense Agency said that seven other people asking for help had been killed and that many other people were injured in Rashid Street in the northwest of Gaza City.

A doctor at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City told the news agency to Reuters that deaths were the result of Israeli air strikes and that injuries were caused by gunshots.

Umm Fida Masoud said that her son “went to bring a bag of flour and returned [injured] in a bag “.

Meanwhile, a local journalist published images which, according to him, showed His cousin celebrating after collecting a bag of flour for his family.

“A bag of 50 kg. I removed it from the truck, a few centimeters from death,” he said.

Nearly 400 people were killed while they have been trying to get help since May 26, when the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), supported by the United States, opened the first of its distribution center, according to the Ministry of Health.

The GHF, which uses American private security entrepreneurs, aims to bypass the UN as a main aid provider for 2.1 million Gaza Palestinians.

The UN and other aid groups refuse to cooperate with the new system, affirming that it contravenes the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence.

They also warn that the Gaza population faces catastrophic levels of hunger after a total Israeli blockage of 11 weeks which was partially attenuated a month ago.

The United States and Israel say that the GHF system will prevent aid from being stolen by Hamas, which the group denies.

On Wednesday, the head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) condemned him as “lame, medieval and deadly”.

“Inviting hungry people to their death is a war crime. The managers of this system must be held responsible,” wrote Philippe Lazzarini on X.

“It is a shame and a stain on our collective conscience.”

The GHF has not commented, but he declared in a statement that he had so far distributed 30 million meals in his three distribution centers “without incident”.

“We remain focused on a singular mission: feeding the inhabitants of Gaza-and we are committed to evolving our efforts to reach even more in need,” he added.

Meanwhile, the WFP warned that the 9,000 tonnes of food aid it had sent in the past four weeks was “a small fraction” of what was necessary for Gaza.

He also said that the desperate need for food made large crowds gather along well -known transport routes, hoping to intercept and access humanitarian supplies during transport.

“Only a massive increase in food distributions can stabilize the situation, calm anxiety and rebuild trust in communities that more food is coming,” he said.

Israeli military organization Cogat reported that 85 truck aid charges had entered the south and north of Gaza via Kerem Shalom and Erez West Crossings on Tuesday, 66 of which were collected. 380 Other truck assistance charges awaited collection by the UN, he said.

The Israeli army launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas against southern Israel on October 7, 2023, during which around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 55,637 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory.