GAZA CITY: Gaza’s civil defence agency reported that Israeli forces killed at least 30 people when they opened fire on a crowd waiting for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military stated it had no knowledge of casualties in the incident, while the UN warned that temporary pauses in Israel’s offensive were inadequate to address the worsening hunger crisis.
Gaza civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that “at least 30 martyrs were killed” and 300 wounded in the shooting near Gaza City.
Al-Shifa Hospital director Mohammed Abu Salmiya confirmed receiving 35 bodies from the incident, which occurred approximately three kilometres southwest of the Zikim aid crossing.
The Israeli army acknowledged that troops fired warning shots near a gathering of Gazans around aid trucks but denied targeting the crowd.
“According to an initial inquiry, the IDF is not aware of any casualties as a result of IDF fire,“ the military said.
Earlier on Wednesday, 14 Palestinians were killed in four separate incidents near aid distribution sites, according to the civil defence. Media restrictions in Gaza prevent independent verification of casualty figures.
The UN humanitarian agency (OCHA) stated that Israel’s “tactical pauses” have failed to ensure sufficient aid delivery, with people still dying from hunger and malnutrition.
“The conditions for delivering aid are far from sufficient to meet the immense needs of desperate, hungry people,“ OCHA said.
International efforts to alleviate the crisis include air drops by Jordan, the UAE, and Britain, with France planning to deliver 40 tonnes of aid starting Friday.
Meanwhile, ceasefire talks remain stalled, with US envoy Steve Witkoff set to visit Israel to discuss next steps. - AFP
