At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and shelling across the Gaza Strip on Friday, Palestinian sources said, reported Xinhua.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli forces opened fire on thousands of civilians waiting for food near a U.S.-backed aid distribution center, north of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.
According to medics from Nasser Hospital in the southern Khan Younis city, seven Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured in the attack, some of whom were in serious conditions.
In a separate incident, another Palestinian was killed and 39 others injured after the Israeli army opened fire on people waiting for aid in central Gaza, Nuseirat's al-Awda Hospital reported in a statement.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense, also reported at least 32 deaths across the enclave due to Israeli airstrikes and shellings.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.
Meanwhile, Hamas on Friday called on the United Nations to establish an international committee to investigate the killing of Palestinians by Israeli army fire outside U.S.-backed aid distribution centers in the Gaza Strip.
The faction considered the move "a blatant crime and further evidence of the brutality of the occupation (Israel) and its leaders," urging for the resumption of aid distribution operated by the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations.
Palestinians have reportedly been targeted in recent weeks while waiting for food aid in various areas of the Gaza Strip, home to more than 2 million people, sparking widespread international condemnation.
On March 18, Israel resumed its military operations in the enclave. At least 6,008 Palestinians had been killed and 20,591 others injured since Israel renewed its intensive strikes, bringing the total death toll since October 2023 to 56,331, and injuries to 132,632, Gaza-based health authorities said on Friday.
- Israeli
- Genocide
- Gaza
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
