Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 41 Palestinians in Gaza, predominantly at an aid site run by the US-Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the center of the coastal territory, according to local health officials.
Medical personnel at Al-Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals reported that at least 25 individuals were killed by Israeli gunfire as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, with dozens more sustaining injuries.
The Israeli military asserted that its forces fired warning shots overnight at individuals who were advancing and posed a threat to the troops in the Netzarim Corridor area.
Later, health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in southern Gaza reported that at least six more people were killed by Israeli gunfire while approaching another GHF site in Rafah further south, bringing today’s death toll to a minimum of 41.
The United Nations has indicated that the blockade has pushed the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine, with food supplies remaining critically low.
The foundation claimed ignorance of the incident but stated that it is collaborating closely with Israeli authorities to maintain safe passage routes and emphasized the necessity for Palestinians to adhere to instructions closely.
“In the end, the solution lies in increasing aid, which will foster more certainty and less urgency among the population,” it communicated via email.
“There is still not enough food to nourish everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to sustain as many individuals as is safely possible amid a highly volatile environment.”
A charity provides hot meals at Nuseirat Refugee Camp in Gaza City.
The UN and various aid organizations have declined to supply aid through the foundation, citing its use of private contractors backed by the Israeli military as a violation of humanitarian standards.
Gaza health officials reported that ten additional individuals were killed in an Israeli attack in Khan Younis in the southern region of the enclave.
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The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response to the reports.
Yesterday, when Gaza health officials announced that 17 individuals were killed near another GHF aid site in Rafah in southern Gaza, the Israeli army claimed it had fired warning shots to deter “suspects” posing a threat to the troops.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asserted that there had been “significant progress” in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza but cautioned that it was “too soon” to raise hopes for a potential deal.
Despite the efforts of the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has displayed a willingness to compromise on core demands, each side blaming the other for the failure to reach an agreement.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis.
Two Hamas sources informed Reuters that they were unaware of any new ceasefire proposals.
The current phase of the conflict ignited after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, according to an AFP tally, during an attack on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s ongoing military actions have claimed nearly 55,000 Palestinian lives, mostly civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and have devastated much of the densely populated strip, which houses over two million people.
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A charity accuses Israel of carrying out an attack that resulted in eight fatalities.
Medical charity Médecins du Monde accused Israel of breaching international law with drone strikes on a building housing one of its offices in Gaza, killing eight individuals, none of whom were staff members.
The France-based aid organization stated that yesterday’s attack “constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which safeguards both civilian populations and humanitarian organizations operating in conflict zones.”
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Yesterday morning, at around 11am local time, a building in Deir el-Balah that housed a Médecins du Monde office was struck by drones,” the aid group reported.
The personnel were not present as they were observing the Eid al-Adha holiday, it added.
“At least eight individuals were killed in the bombardment, all located on the top floor of the building,” it stated, without providing additional details about those who perished.
“Médecins du Monde had informed the Israeli military of the presence of its office, which had been officially declared ‘deconflicted’, or protected from Israeli military assaults under humanitarian coordination agreements,” it mentioned.
“However, similar to previous Israeli attacks, the team received no prior warning that would have allowed for evacuation or protective measures for anyone inside,” it continued.
Several other non-governmental organizations, as well as Palestinians displaced by the conflict, operate in the same vicinity, it noted.
Israel reports retrieval of the bodies of two hostages from Gaza.
Additionally, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of two hostages from the Gaza Strip, the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced, as Israel intensified its offensive in the Palestinian territory.
A military statement indicated that a joint operation by the army and the Shin Bet security agency led to the recovery of the bodies of Yair Yaakov and “an additional hostage whose name has not yet been cleared for publication” from the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza.
Mr. Yaakov, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was 59 when he was abducted during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and was killed the same day, according to the Israeli military.
The military statement indicated that he had been taken and killed by fighters associated with Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas.
Mr. Yaakov was abducted alongside his partner, Meirav Tal, while they sheltered in their safe room in Nir Oz.
She was released on November 28, 2023, during the initial truce.
Abducted separately at their mother’s home, Mr. Yaakov’s two children, Yagil and Or, were also liberated on November 27, during the first truce.
