At least 34 people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Eid-al-Adha, medical sources told Al Jazeera, as the US-backed group distributing aid in the Palestinian territory said all its centres were closed until further notice.
The dead bodies of 16 people arrived at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Friday, local health authorities said, while 11 bodies were brought to Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza, five to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, and two to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.
A journalist who was wounded in an Israeli strike on Ahli Hospital on Thursday succumbed to their injures, raising the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the beginning of the war to 226, Gaza’s Government Media Office said on Friday.
The office called on “all journalistic bodies in all countries of the world to condemn these systematic crimes against Palestinian journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip”.
“We also call on them to exert serious and effective pressure to stop the crime of genocide, protect journalists and media professionals in the Gaza Strip, and halt their killing,” it added.
Advertisement
Aid sites remain closed
The attacks come as the US-backed group tasked with distributing aid in Gaza said its hubs would remain closed until further notice, despite a growing hunger crisis in the territory.
Aid agencies have warned that all residents in Gaza face the threat of famine after Israel imposed a severe blockade on the territory in March, blocking the entry of food, medicine and fuel. Amid international pressure, Israel allowed some aid to enter Gaza last month, but aid groups have warned the amounts are inadequate.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a previously unknown group that is overseeing the aid distribution effort, advised people to stay away from the aid distribution hubs “for their safety”.
GHF, which began distributing aid last week, said in a Facebook post on Friday that details about reopening would be announced later.
Operations at the group’s aid distribution hubs were halted earlier this week following several incidents of deadly violence near the sites, in which Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian aid seekers. Only two sites distributed aid on Thursday.
On Sunday, thousands of people headed towards the distribution site hours before dawn. As they approached, Israeli forces ordered them to disperse and come back later. When the crowds reached the Flag Roundabout, 1km (0.6 mile) away, at about 3am, Israeli forces opened fire, witnesses said.
“There was fire from all directions, from naval warships, from tanks and drones,” said Amr Abu Teiba, who was in the crowd.
Advertisement
Goher Rahbour, a surgeon working in Gaza’s Khan Younis, told Al Jazeera that the bullets extracted from victims of the shooting near the aid distribution centre on Sunday were from M16 assault guns, consistent with those used by the Israeli military.
“I operated on two patients and we removed M16 bullets from abdominal injuries,” Rahbour told Al Jazeera. “When I spoke to these patients, they were very clear to say they came from Israeli forces.”
The surgeon also said hospitals were operating with little or no resources. “There is a lack of everything – antibiotics, swabs, surgical instruments,” he said.
The GHF’s approach has been fiercely criticised by humanitarian organisations, including the United Nations.
The GHF says private security contractors guarding its sites have not fired on crowds.
Israel’s military has acknowledged firing warning shots on previous occasions.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 54,677 Palestinians and wounded 125,530, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Thursday.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023, and more than 200 were taken captive.
On Thursday, mediators Qatar and Egypt announced renewed efforts to secure a ceasefire deal based on a US-backed proposal for a 60-day truce and the entry of humanitarian aid.
Previous ceasefire efforts have, however, repeatedly broken down over Israel’s rejection of key terms.
In past rounds of negotiations, Israel has walked back commitments related to a permanent halt to the war and a full withdrawal of its troops from Gaza.
Advertisement