At Least 62 Palestinians Killed by Israeli Forces in Gaza, Says Civil Defense Agency
Gaza's civil defense agency reports that at least 62 Palestinians were killed on Friday, including those seeking aid.
Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that Israeli forces killed at least 62 people on Friday, with 10 of the victims having been in search of aid in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
The incident marks the latest in a series of deadly events near aid sites in Gaza, where a US- and Israeli-backed foundation has largely taken over from established humanitarian organizations.The civil defense agency's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, stated that 62 Palestinians were killed on Friday due to Israeli strikes or fire across the Palestinian territory.
In response to inquiries for comment, the Israeli military claimed it was investigating the incidents and denied its troops had fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers reported a fatality among aid seekers.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the US-backed aid operation in Gaza, describing it as ‘inherently unsafe’.
He stated that UN-led humanitarian efforts are being 'strangled', and Israel is required to facilitate aid deliveries into the Palestinian enclave.
Guterres emphasized that people should never die while searching for food for themselves and their families.According to Bassal, six Palestinians were killed near a distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in southern Gaza, with one more fatality reported in central Gaza where the Israeli military denied any involvement.
Three additional deaths occurred when a strike hit aid seekers southwest of Gaza City.Gaza’s Health Ministry has documented that over 500 people have been killed near aid centers since late May while attempting to secure scarce supplies.
The GHF has denied reports of fatal shootings occurring near its aid points, but medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the relief efforts, labeling them 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'.
MSF reported a 190 percent increase in bullet wound cases at a nearby field hospital compared to the preceding week.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operating methods have been criticized for putting lives at risk.
Aitor Zabalgogeaskoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, stated that individuals arriving early and approaching checkpoints were shot, while those who arrived on time but overflowed and jumped over mounds and wires also suffered the same fate.
Those who arrived late were deemed not to belong, as they entered an ‘evacuated zone’, leading them to be targeted again.Bassal also reported 10 deaths caused by five separate Israeli strikes near Khan Younis in southern Gaza and continuous artillery shelling in that region.
Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for attacking an Israeli vehicle east of Khan Younis, while the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stated they had coordinated with the Al-Qassam Brigades to attack a group of Israeli soldiers north of Khan Younis.Additionally, Bassal reported 30 fatalities resulting from six separate strikes in northern Gaza, including a fisherman targeted by Israeli warships.
In central Gaza’s Al-Bureij refugee camp, 12 people were killed in two separate Israeli strikes according to Bassal's account.Furthermore, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the 50th medic has been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, bringing the total number of PRCS staff and volunteers killed during this period to a 'deeply shocking' figure.
The inability to independently verify the tolls and details due to Israeli restrictions on media access in Gaza and difficulties in accessing certain areas were acknowledged by AFP.The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 56,331 deaths, mostly civilians, according to figures provided by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The UN corroborates these figures as reliable.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the current war, 1,219 casualties were recorded, based on official counts tallied by AFP.
The incident marks the latest in a series of deadly events near aid sites in Gaza, where a US- and Israeli-backed foundation has largely taken over from established humanitarian organizations.The civil defense agency's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, stated that 62 Palestinians were killed on Friday due to Israeli strikes or fire across the Palestinian territory.
In response to inquiries for comment, the Israeli military claimed it was investigating the incidents and denied its troops had fired in one of the locations in central Gaza where rescuers reported a fatality among aid seekers.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized the US-backed aid operation in Gaza, describing it as ‘inherently unsafe’.
He stated that UN-led humanitarian efforts are being 'strangled', and Israel is required to facilitate aid deliveries into the Palestinian enclave.
Guterres emphasized that people should never die while searching for food for themselves and their families.According to Bassal, six Palestinians were killed near a distribution site operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in southern Gaza, with one more fatality reported in central Gaza where the Israeli military denied any involvement.
Three additional deaths occurred when a strike hit aid seekers southwest of Gaza City.Gaza’s Health Ministry has documented that over 500 people have been killed near aid centers since late May while attempting to secure scarce supplies.
The GHF has denied reports of fatal shootings occurring near its aid points, but medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the relief efforts, labeling them 'slaughter masquerading as humanitarian aid'.
MSF reported a 190 percent increase in bullet wound cases at a nearby field hospital compared to the preceding week.The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation's operating methods have been criticized for putting lives at risk.
Aitor Zabalgogeaskoa, MSF’s emergency coordinator in Gaza, stated that individuals arriving early and approaching checkpoints were shot, while those who arrived on time but overflowed and jumped over mounds and wires also suffered the same fate.
Those who arrived late were deemed not to belong, as they entered an ‘evacuated zone’, leading them to be targeted again.Bassal also reported 10 deaths caused by five separate Israeli strikes near Khan Younis in southern Gaza and continuous artillery shelling in that region.
Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, claimed responsibility for attacking an Israeli vehicle east of Khan Younis, while the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stated they had coordinated with the Al-Qassam Brigades to attack a group of Israeli soldiers north of Khan Younis.Additionally, Bassal reported 30 fatalities resulting from six separate strikes in northern Gaza, including a fisherman targeted by Israeli warships.
In central Gaza’s Al-Bureij refugee camp, 12 people were killed in two separate Israeli strikes according to Bassal's account.Furthermore, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that the 50th medic has been killed in Gaza since the beginning of the conflict, bringing the total number of PRCS staff and volunteers killed during this period to a 'deeply shocking' figure.
The inability to independently verify the tolls and details due to Israeli restrictions on media access in Gaza and difficulties in accessing certain areas were acknowledged by AFP.The ongoing conflict has resulted in at least 56,331 deaths, mostly civilians, according to figures provided by Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The UN corroborates these figures as reliable.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the current war, 1,219 casualties were recorded, based on official counts tallied by AFP.
