At least 16 Palestinian aid seekers were among the 29 killed by the latest Israeli army fire in Gaza Thursday, local health officials said.
The 16 people were killed and dozens more were injured in Israeli gunfire while waiting for food near an aid distribution point in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza.
Seven more people lost their lives and several others were injured when an Israeli drone hit near a tent for displaced people in the Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City, the source added.
Six civilians were also killed in separate attacks in Gaza City, medics said.
According to the Gaza Government Media Office, 300 aid seekers have been killed and 2,649 injured by Israeli army fire near distribution points since Israel launched a new aid collection system in the Palestinian territory on May 27.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the deteriorating situation of health care facilities in the Gaza Strip, calling for unimpeded entry of aid and fuel into the besieged enclave.
“Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, #Gaza, is struggling to stay operational amid relentless strain and lack of supplies,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X late Wednesday.
He said that the hospital received over 300 injured people Tuesday alone, reportedly linked to two incidents near non-U.N. militarized food distribution sites where 75 people died, including 11 children.
‘Time is ticking’
About 590 patients are currently hospitalized, Tedros noted and said that it is almost double Nasser’s capacity.
“The hospital is unable to increase its capacity due to lack of ventilators, monitors, beds and staff.”
The WHO chief underlined that Nasser is located within the evacuation zone, but he added many health workers cannot reach the hospital due to fear for safety or lack of fuel for transportation.
Tedros said WHO delivered a minimum amount of fuel on Wednesday which is enough to sustain just five more days of operation but warned that without additional fuel, services will begin shutting down.
“WHO once again calls for the protection of the hospital; for unimpeded entry of health aid and fuel into and across Gaza via all possible routes,” he said.
“Time is ticking to save lives. Ceasefire!” the WHO director-general added.
The Israeli army, rejecting international calls for a cease-fire, has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, killing more than 55,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
Be First to Comment