Key Points
- Israeli forces killed six people and injured several as they gathered to receive aid
- Aid boat with 12 activists on board nearing Gaza
- Gaza death toll surges to 54,772
- Hamas condemns escalation of Israeli attacks
- Israeli army demolishing homes in West Bank
Gaza: Israeli forces killed at least 66 Palestinians on Saturday, including six people who were shot near a US backed aid distribution centre, Gaza’s civil defence agency reported.
The latest shooting occurred near a facility operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in Rafah’s southern district. The centre had only recently resumed aid distributions after a temporary suspension earlier in the week, following similar deadly incidents.
According to Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal around 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT), “six people were killed and several others injured by Israeli occupation forces near the Al-Alam roundabout.”
Since late May, Gazans have been gathering at the roundabout almost daily to receive humanitarian aid from the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) distribution centre.
The Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF), a privately run initiative, began operations in late May after Israel partially eased a blockade on aid that had lasted over two months.
Aid boat nearing Gaza
Meanwhile an aid boat with 12 activists on board, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, was nearing Gaza in a bid to highlight the plight of Palestinians due to Israeli blockade that has only been partially eased.
In a statement issued from London, the International Committee for Breaking the Siege of Gaza — a member of the flotilla coalition — announced that the ship had entered Egyptian waters.
The group said it remains in contact with international legal and human rights bodies to ensure the safety of those on board, warning that any interception would constitute “a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
Hamas slams escalation of Israeli attacks
The Palestinian group Hamas has denounced the intensified Israeli military operations in Gaza, describing them as “a continuation of the brutal war of extermination” that has been ongoing since October 2023.
In a statement posted on Telegram, Hamas reported that more than 40 members of a single family were killed on Friday when an Israeli airstrike leveled the residential building they were sheltering in.
The group urged the international community to take immediate action to stop what it called “brutal crimes,” and to hold Israeli leaders accountable for crimes against humanity.
Israeli army continues to demolish homes in West Bank
The Israeli army is demolishing residential buildings in Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank for a second consecutive day, Wafa news agency has reported.
This is part of Israel’s plan to demolish 106 buildings in Tulkarem and Nur Shams, according to a notification the Israeli army delivered to residents of the two sites more than a week ago, the report said. Palestinians were given three hours to enter their homes and take their belongings, it added.
Gaza death toll continues to rise
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the total number of Palestinians killed since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, has reached 54,772, with 125,834 others injured.
Since Israel broke the ceasefire in March 2024, 4,497 Palestinians have been killed and 13,793 wounded, the ministry reported.
In just the past 48 hours, at least 95 Palestinians have been killed and 304 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip.
