Key points
- Israeli gunfire injures over 200 near Khan Yunis as they waited for aid
- Shooting occurred near the Al-Alam roundabout as people tried to access an aid centre
- Israeli military states it is investigating the reports
ISLAMABAD: Gaza’s civil defence agency said that Israeli gunfire killed 20 Palestinians waiting for aid in the south of the Palestinian territory on Monday, according to AFP.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that “20 martyrs and more than 200 wounded by occupation gunfire… were transferred to the Red Cross field hospital in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, then to Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis”.
He added that the people had been waiting to reach an aid centre in Rafah “when the occupation forces opened fire” near the Al-Alam roundabout.
When asked by AFP, the Israeli military said it was checking the reports.
UN rights chief condemns Israel’s conduct
According to Al Jazeera, the United Nations rights chief has condemned Israel’s conduct in the besieged Gaza Strip, where deadly Israeli attacks continue unabated even as the country is exchanging missile attacks with regional rival Iran.
READ ALSO: Jewish Scholars, Experts Say Gaza Crisis Meets Definition of Genocide
Speaking on Monday, Volker Turk said Israel’s “means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza”, where more than 19 months of Israeli attacks have killed at least 55,362 people, including thousands of children, according to health officials.
