Keystone-SDA
The Civil Defense of Gaza said that Israeli forces had shot Palestinians on Sunday who were trying to recover humanitarian aid in the small territory. Assessment: 73 people killed.
(Keystone-ATS) The UN and NGOs regularly report a risk of famine in the Gaza Strip besieged by Israel after more than 21 months of open conflict.
Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that at least 67 people had been killed and dozens injured following “occupation shooting (Israel, editor’s note) on people expecting aid in the northwest of the city of Gaza”, in the north of the Palestinian territory.
In the south, this organization reported six other people killed on Sunday by Israeli forces near a help distribution center in the northwest of Rafah, where dozens of people had perished the day before.
The World Food Program (PAM) said that one of its convoys of 25 trucks carrying food aid had entered the north of the Gaza Strip on Sunday morning and “met huge crowds of hungry civilians who were fired”.
The WFP deemed “totally unacceptable” any violence against civilians seeking to obtain humanitarian aid.
Solicited by AFP, the army spoke of “summons to dismiss an immediate threat that weighed on it”, faced with a group of “thousands” of people. She denied the record of the civil defense.
“Children fall asleep”
Given the restrictions imposed on the media by Israel, which besieges Gaza, and difficulties of access to the field, AFP is not able to independently check the balance sheets and assertions of the various parties.
“Thousands of desperate people were gathered to get flour,” says Qassem Abou Khater, who had gone to a help distribution.
“The tanks (Israelis) drew randomly over us,” said the 36 -year -old man who claims to have seen “dozens of people” die before him.
“The question was: do I take an injured one to save him, or a bag of flour to save my family?” My God, to which we are reduced to! He laments.
Civil Defense also said that he has noted an increase in the number of deaths of infants caused by “hunger and severe malnutrition”, signaling at least three deaths of children in last week.
“Our children cry and cry to have to eat. They fall asleep, ”says Ziad Mousleh, a 45 -year -old father who explains that he no longer finds enough to feed his children.
“Barbarism” of war
In this context, the Israeli army has announced to extend its operations to the Deir al-Balah region, in the center of the Palestinian territory, where it has summoned the population to evacuate.
Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee urged civilians to “go south”.
In almost 22 months of war, the majority of the more than two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were moved at least once.
The Israeli announcement has worried the hostage families selected since October 7, 2023, which fear that the Israeli offensive will put their loved ones in danger.
In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV called to immediately end the “barbarism” of the war in Gaza, a few days after a deadly Israeli strike against a Catholic church in Palestinian territory.
“I appeal to the international community to respect humanitarian law and the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the use of force without distinction and the forced displacement of populations,” he added.
The pope had called on Friday to “revitalize the negotiations” indirect for a cease-fire, which are deadlocked.
