GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 120 Palestinians were killed and 474 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday, as the total death toll from Israel’s military offensive since October 2023 surged to 55,104.
In its daily update, the Palestinian territory’s health ministry said three more bodies were retrieved from under the rubble of buildings destroyed in earlier airstrikes.
The ministry said that 57 Palestinians were killed and more than 363 injured on Wednesday alone at aid distribution centres targeted by Israeli forces.
This brought the total number of Palestinians killed at aid distribution centres to 224, with 1,858 others wounded since the start of the conflict.
The Health Ministry added that since Israel broke the temporary ceasefire in March this year, it has killed at least 4,821 people and injured 15,353.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Israeli army admitted firing “warning shots” near the Netzarim Corridor overnight, where dozens of Palestinians were killed and hundreds injured while gathering for humanitarian aid.
The army claimed that “suspects” had approached and posed a threat to its troops. It said it was reviewing the reports of casualties and was also investigating additional incidents of daytime shootings that occurred near the same aid site.
The incident is part of growing scrutiny of Israel’s handling of humanitarian operations in Gaza. The Israeli aid distribution mechanism has faced widespread criticism from the international community, including the United Nations, for failing to protect civilians seeking food and supplies.
Aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a looming famine in Gaza, home to 2.4 million people, especially as Israel has continued to restrict the entry of humanitarian aid since early March.
The healthcare situation in northern Gaza is also deteriorating rapidly. The Health Ministry described the conditions as “catastrophic,” saying that all hospitals in the region have been rendered non-functional due to continued Israeli bombardments and a lack of medical supplies.
“Hundreds of patients and wounded are suffering from incomplete treatment due to the depletion of essential medical departments,” the ministry said, warning that emergency interventions would soon become “meaningless” without immediate international assistance.
Medical charity Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) accused Israel of violating international law after a drone strike hit a building in Deir el-Balah that housed one of its offices.
The France-based organisation said eight people were killed in the Tuesday attack, none of whom were staff members.
The group confirmed that the office had been formally “deconflicted,” meaning it had been designated to the Israeli military as a humanitarian site and was supposed to be protected under international humanitarian law.
However, the organisation said no prior warning was issued before the drone strike.
“This attack constitutes a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which protects both civilian populations and humanitarian organisations operating in conflict zones,” Médecins du Monde said in a statement.
The Israeli military has not yet responded to the allegation.
Despite growing international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pressed ahead with its military campaign against Gaza, which began on 7 October 2023 following a deadly attack by Hamas.
The majority of those killed in Gaza are women and children, according to health authorities.
