- Among the Palestinians killed are dozens of aid seekers and eight who lost their lives due to hunger and malnutrition.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 83 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip amid a deepening Israel-induced hunger crisis, medical sources have told Al Jazeera, as hospitals in the besieged territory have recorded eight more deaths from starvation and malnutrition.
Among those killed on Tuesday were 58 aid seekers, who were shot by Israeli forces as they approached aid distribution sites operated by the United States- and Israeli-backed GHF.
Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, said the “same exact scenario plays out in Gaza every single day” since GHF distribution sites began operating in May.
“Palestinians are approaching these distribution sites, waiting for food, but the Israeli forces are opening fire,” Khoudary said.
She quoted sources at al-Shifa Hospital as saying that the number of injured people transferred from the distribution point near northern Gaza’s Zikim crossing “is very large”.
“Injuries are coming with bullets in parts of their bodies that are very hard to treat, including their heads, necks and also their chests,” Khoudary said. “The cycle of violence is the same in all three distribution locations.”
The United Nations and other humanitarian organisations have heavily criticised the GHF for failing to provide enough aid and the dire security situation at and around its aid distribution sites.
So far, more than 1,560 Palestinians seeking aid have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to receive food amid the Israeli-induced starvation crisis.
The attacks come as aid agencies and health officials warn of a sharp rise in starvation, particularly among children and the elderly.
“International law is clear in the regard: Gaza is and must remain an integral part of the future Palestinian state,” UN Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca told a UN Security Council meeting.
On Tuesday, Israeli tanks pushed into central Gaza, but it was not clear if the move was part of a larger ground offensive.
Palestinians living in the last quarter of territory where Israel has not yet taken military control via ground incursions or forced evacuations said any new push would be catastrophic.
“If the tanks pushed through, where would we go? Into the sea? This will be like a death sentence to the entire population,” said Abu Jehad, a Gaza wood merchant.
More than 61,020 Palestinians, including at least 18,430 children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began in October 2023, according to Gaza health authorities.
Forty-nine captives, including 27 who are believed to be dead, are still being held by Hamas, according to Israeli authorities.
Israel’s deadly assault has also forced nearly all of Gaza’s more than 2 million people from their homes and caused what a global hunger monitor last week called an unfolding famine.
Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies
