Gaza’s civil defence company reported that Israeli air strikes on Thursday killed at the least 33 individuals, together with 12 guards securing help vehicles in southern components of the Palestinian territory.
The most recent bloodshed got here simply hours after the UN Normal Meeting referred to as for a direct ceasefire within the devastated territory.
Seven guards have been killed in a strike in Rafah, whereas one other assault left 5 guards lifeless in Khan Yunis, company spokesman Mahmud Bassal mentioned.
“The occupation as soon as once more focused these securing the help vehicles,” Bassal informed AFP, including that round 30 individuals, most of them kids, have been additionally wounded within the strikes.
“The vehicles carrying flour have been on their method to UNRWA warehouses,” Bassal famous, referring to the United Nations company for Palestinian refugees.
“The occupation goals to destroy all providers for residents throughout the Gaza Strip.”
Witnesses later informed AFP that residents looted flour from the vehicles after the strikes.
The Israeli navy mentioned its forces “carried out exact strikes” in a single day on armed Hamas militants current within the humanitarian hall in southern Gaza.
“The entire terrorists that have been eradicated have been members of Hamas and deliberate to violently hijack humanitarian help vehicles and switch them to Hamas in help of continuous terrorist exercise, stopping them from reaching Gazan civilians, as was achieved in earlier instances,” the navy alleged in a press release.
It insisted it “doesn’t strike humanitarian help vehicles and the humanitarian hall stays open and lively”.
The United Nations and different help companies have repeatedly warned concerning the acute humanitarian disaster within the Gaza Strip, exacerbated by the struggle that has endured for greater than 14 months.
– ‘Apocalyptic’ –
“Circumstances for individuals throughout the Gaza Strip are appalling and apocalyptic,” UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Wateridge informed journalists throughout a go to to Nuseirat in central Gaza.
She added that life-saving help to “besieged areas in north Gaza governorate has been largely blocked” because the Israeli navy launched a sweeping assault a number of weeks in the past.
Israeli air strikes on two properties close to Nuseirat refugee camp and Gaza Metropolis killed 21 extra individuals, together with kids, the civil defence company mentioned.
Fifteen individuals, at the least six of them kids, died “because of an Israeli bombing” of a constructing sheltering displaced individuals close to Nuseirat, Basal mentioned.
The our bodies of six others killed in a strike on an condominium in Gaza Metropolis have been taken to a hospital morgue, he added.
In Khan Yunis, kin gathered on the Nasser Hospital to mourn the lifeless and carry out funeral rites.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed tens of hundreds of individuals and devastated the coastal territory since a Hamas assault on southern Israel ignited the struggle.
Within the newest diplomatic effort to finish the violence, the UN Normal Meeting adopted a decision on Wednesday calling for a direct and unconditional ceasefire.
The non-binding decision was rejected by america, Israel’s major navy backer.
Nonetheless, in latest days, there have been indications that beforehand stalled ceasefire negotiations might be revived.
Households of the 96 hostages nonetheless in Gaza, together with 34 the Israeli navy says are lifeless, are urgent for his or her launch.
Militants kidnapped 251 hostages in the course of the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel, which killed 1,208 individuals, largely civilians, in response to an AFP tally primarily based on official figures.
This rely contains hostages who died or have been killed whereas held in Gaza.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at the least 44,805 individuals in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, in response to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s well being ministry that the United Nations considers dependable.
