GAZA STRIP: Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 37 people were killed by Israeli fire on Saturday.
Among the dead were 30 civilians waiting to collect aid near distribution points.
Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said 12 people died and nearly 200 were wounded when Israeli forces opened fire near a northern Gaza border crossing.
Six more were killed and 30 injured after troops targeted civilians at an aid point in central Gaza.
Strikes in central Gaza caused multiple casualties, while a drone attack near Khan Yunis killed at least three people.
AFP could not independently verify the tolls due to media restrictions and access challenges in Gaza.
Thousands of Palestinians gather daily near food distribution points, including those run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Since late May, Israeli forces have reportedly fired almost daily on civilians waiting for aid.
Israeli supply restrictions since the war began have caused severe shortages of food, medicine, and fuel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure to agree to a ceasefire amid famine risks and hostage concerns.
Israel’s security cabinet recently approved plans for a major operation to seize Gaza City, sparking global outrage.
Netanyahu defended the decision, stating Israel aims to “free Gaza from Hamas” rather than occupy it.
Hamas condemned the planned offensive as a “new war crime,“ citing the 2023 attack that triggered the conflict.
Gaza’s health ministry reports over 61,000 Palestinians killed in Israel’s offensive, figures the UN considers reliable.
Hamas’s 2023 attack resulted in 1,219 Israeli deaths, according to AFP’s tally of official data. – AFP