Gaza: At least 90 Palestinians were killed and dozens injured across the Gaza Strip on Saturday, including 36 aid seekers who were shot by Israeli forces while waiting for assistance in the southern city of Rafah, according to medical sources.
According to Anadolu Agency, five Palestinians were killed in a strike targeting a civilian gathering in the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Additionally, three people lost their lives and several others were wounded in an Israeli airstrike on a tent sheltering displaced families in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
In southern Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting near a US aid distribution center west of Rafah, resulting in the deaths of 32 individuals by gunfire and injuring dozens more as they awaited their turn to receive aid, reported the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Israeli army's use of live ammunition resulted in a significant number of casualties.
UN figures indicate that nearly 900 Palestinians have died in recent weeks while attempting to obtain humanitarian aid at sites primarily associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organization supported by Israel. The GHF, operating in Gaza since late May, bypasses the UN and other established NGOs, but faces criticism from Palestinians and international groups for the high casualty numbers linked to its operations.
In another incident in central Gaza, 12 Palestinians were killed and others injured when an Israeli drone attacked a residential apartment in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Additional fatalities occurred when Israeli forces shelled civilian gatherings in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, resulting in three deaths and several injuries.
Further casualties were reported across the region, including a fatality in an Israeli attack on western Gaza City, and five deaths, including three women and a child, in two separate airstrikes targeting homes in Gaza City. An Israeli strike on an animal-drawn cart in southwestern Gaza City claimed four more lives.
Israeli army fire also resulted in four more Palestinian deaths as individuals waited for US aid near a distribution center in the Netzarim Corridor. Additional airstrikes in central and northern Gaza City led to five more fatalities.
In Khan Younis, Israeli airstrikes on tents sheltering displaced families killed two people, while separate airstrikes in Gaza City and Khan Younis resulted in five more deaths. In northern Gaza, airstrikes on tents near a UN school in eastern Gaza City killed seven and injured 17. Two additional fatalities were reported in an airstrike targeting a crowd in Jabalia town.
Civilians were also wounded in an Israeli bombing of a residential apartment near the Al-Shifa Medical Complex. Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli military's offensive, ongoing since October 7, 2023, has resulted in nearly 59,000 Palestinian deaths, predominantly women and children.
The continuous bombardment has devastated the enclave, causing food shortages and disease spread. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Furthermore, Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice concerning its actions in the enclave.