140 Killed In Israeli Attacks On Gaza In 24 Hours, Says Ministry
At least 140 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past 24 hours in ongoing Israeli military operations in the region, said Gaza’s health ministry.
According to the ministry, the fatalities include more than 40 people who died on Wednesday in gunfire and airstrikes, part of a broader pattern of near-daily casualties since Israel partially eased its siege on the enclave nearly three weeks ago.
Medical sources told Reuters that Israeli strikes on homes in central and northern Gaza, specifically in the Maghazi refugee camp, Zeitoun neighbourhood, and Gaza City, killed at least 21 people.
In Khan Younis in the south, another airstrike on an encampment killed five.
Meanwhile, 14 others died after Israeli forces opened fire on displaced Palestinians gathering for aid deliveries along the Salahuddin road in central Gaza, according to medics.
The deliveries were part of a United Nations-led effort to provide relief in the region.
Responding to questions about the Salahuddin road incident, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said troops operating in the Nuseirat area were approached in a threatening manner and fired warning shots.
The IDF said the area had been designated an active combat zone and added it was unaware of civilian casualties. The military said it was continuing operations aimed at dismantling Hamas’ military infrastructure while taking “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.”
Since the resumption of aid deliveries in late May, Gaza’s health ministry says at least 397 Palestinians seeking food assistance have been killed, and over 3,000 injured.
Some Gazans say the ongoing war between Israel and Iran, has overshadowed the continuing devastation in Gaza.
“People are being slaughtered in Gaza, day and night, but attention has shifted to the Iran-Israel war. There is little news about Gaza these days,” said Adel, a resident of Gaza City, told Reuters via a messaging app.
“Whoever doesn’t die from Israeli bombs dies from hunger. People risk their lives every day to get food, and they also get killed—and their blood smears the sacks of flour they thought they had won,” he added.
Israel is now coordinating much of the aid through a new U.S.- and Israeli-supported initiative known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
The group uses American private contractors to deliver aid at select distribution sites guarded by Israeli forces.
Israel says the initiative ensures humanitarian aid reaches civilians without being diverted to Hamas.
But the militant group denies taking aid, accusing Israel of deliberately using starvation as a tool of war.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), in a post on X, described the current aid distribution system as “a disgrace & a stain on our collective consciousness”
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting 251, Israeli authorities said.
In response, Israel launched a wide-scale military offensive that has killed about 55,600 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
140 Killed In Israeli Attacks On Gaza In 24 Hours, Says Ministry is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
