At least 26 Palestinians, including 11 aid seekers, have been killed in the latest wave of Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks across the Gaza Strip, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The strikes come amid a rapidly worsening hunger crisis, with thousands of Palestinians gathering daily at food distribution centres despite the grave risks involved.
Among the latest victims were civilians waiting for assistance at centres run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial aid program backed by Israel and the United States. The United Nations has strongly criticised the program for the alleged “weaponisation of aid.”
In southern Gaza’s al-Mawasi, a so-called Israeli-designated “safe zone”, a drone strike killed at least three displaced Palestinians from the Shurrab family. Their tent was reportedly targeted while they were sheltering in the area.
The Palestinian news agency Wafa confirmed that 202 people were killed and 1,037 injured in Gaza over the past 48 hours alone. Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, the death toll has reached 55,908, with over 131,000 injured.
Targeting of Aid Sites
The targeting of aid sites has intensified in recent days. On Saturday, Israeli forces reportedly opened fire at a GHF aid point in Khan Younis, killing three people and injuring several others.
Survivors describe the aid zones as “death traps.”
“I call it the point of death,” said Omar al-Hobi, a displaced Palestinian. “The tank is in front of us, the machine gun is in front of us, the quadcopter is above us, and snipers are on the ground. Anyone who moves is shot.”
The Israeli military claims these operations are aimed at crowd control, but humanitarian groups and witnesses say the attacks are unprovoked and indiscriminate, often resulting in civilian casualties.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said that most of the injured brought to its field hospitals since the GHF began operations have been wounded while trying to collect aid.
Communication Blackout
Adding to the crisis, Gaza is facing a widespread internet and landline outage affecting northern, central, and southern governorates. According to the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, some areas have been without service for over three days, compounding the isolation and chaos faced by residents.
