GAZA CITY, Palestine: At least 95 Palestinians were killed and more than 440 injured in Israeli air and ground strikes across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, the enclave’s health ministry said on Wednesday.
The latest casualties come amid a deepening humanitarian crisis as the group operating aid sites in the Gaza Strip announced the closure of the facilities, with the Israeli army warning that roads leading to distribution centres were “considered combat zones.”
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US- and Israeli-backed group operating distribution centres in the besieged Palestinian territory, announced a temporary halt to aid distribution, citing the need for “reorganisation and efficiency improvement”.
The move came a day after Israeli troops opened fire near a GHF aid centre, killing at least 27 Palestinians and wounding over 100, the group confirmed on social media.
Israel’s military warned that roads leading to aid sites were off-limits. “We confirm that travel is prohibited tomorrow on roads leading to the distribution centres…and entry to the distribution centres is strictly forbidden,” an army spokesperson said.
According to the UN, over 100 Palestinians have been killed near aid distribution sites since the GHF began operations on May 27.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday condemned the attacks as “unacceptable” and called for an independent investigation, stating: “It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food.”
Health system on the brink
The war has pushed Gaza’s health sector into collapse, with hospitals overwhelmed and running out of supplies and fuel.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah reported a sixfold increase in miscarriages and a surge in premature births.
“The neonatal units are overwhelmed. Our ability to provide care has been severely undermined,” said Khalil al-Daqran, the hospital’s spokesperson, in comments carried by the Wafa news agency.
Over 23 hospitals have shut down, while the few remaining are only partially operational.
Some 12,000 cancer patients have been left without treatment, resulting in five deaths daily, and 41% of kidney failure patients have died due to the collapse of dialysis services, reported Middle East Monitor.
International outrage
The attacks on civilians seeking food have intensified calls for accountability. UN human rights chief Volker Turk said that targeting civilians constitutes “a grave breach of international law and a war crime.”
The International Committee of the Red Cross also warned of “an unprecedented scale and frequency of recent mass casualty incidents.”
Despite Israel’s claims that its operations target Hamas, aid groups and rights organisations warn that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the ongoing military campaign.
Meanwhile, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition launched a vessel carrying aid towards Gaza from Sicily, including fruit juices, milk, and protein bars.
The boat includes international activists, among them Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Israel’s military said it was prepared to “protect” its maritime borders. When asked about the aid vessel, army spokesperson Effie Defrin said: “For this case as well, we are prepared,” without elaborating further.
Ceasefire talks stall
The health ministry in Gaza said the overall death toll from Israel’s war on the enclave had reached 54,607, with more than 125,000 wounded since the conflict began on 7 October 2023.
Since breaking a truce in March, Israel has killed 4,335 Palestinians and injured over 13,000.
The war has displaced around 90% of Gaza’s 2 million residents, triggered a widespread hunger crisis, and caused massive destruction across the strip.
A proposed UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access is scheduled for a vote on Wednesday.
However, it is expected to be vetoed by the United States, a key Israeli ally.
