NUSEIRAT: Gaza’s civil defence agency and hospitals said Tuesday that Israeli forces killed at least 41 people across the territory, including 17 near an aid distribution centre.
The Israeli military has pressed on with its offensive even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war.
Officials from Gaza’s civil defence agency – a rescue force operating under Hamas authority – said 17 people were shot dead by Israeli forces near an aid distribution site near the Wadi Gaza bridge in central Gaza.
Al-Awda hospital confirmed receiving 17 bodies and said 33 people were wounded.
“We received 17 martyrs and 33 injured as a result of Israeli forces targeting gatherings of citizens near the humanitarian aid distribution area near Wadi Gaza Bridge in the central Gaza Strip,” the hospital said in a statement.
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Thousands of Palestinians congregate daily near food distribution points in Gaza, including those managed by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
Since launching in late May, its operations have been marred by regular reports of Israeli forces firing on those waiting to collect aid.
An AFP journalist saw hundreds of children crowding a food distribution centre in Gaza’s central Nuseirat area, where volunteers were handing out rice and other supplies.
When asked about Tuesday’s incident near Wadi Gaza Bridge, the military said it was looking into it.
Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid supplies into Gaza since the start of the war nearly two years ago have led to shortages of food and essential items, including medicine and fuel, which hospitals require to power their generators.
The civil defence added that 15 more people were killed in several strikes in Gaza City, from where hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee due to Israeli air and ground assaults.
Nine others were killed elsewhere in the territory, it said.
Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence and the Israeli military.
On Monday, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan for an immediate halt to the war in Gaza, which Netanyahu backed.
Hamas has yet to respond, and on Tuesday Trump issued an ultimatum to the group.
“We’re going to do about three or four days,” Trump told reporters when asked about a timeframe.
“We’re just waiting for Hamas, and Hamas is either going to be doing it or not. And if it’s not, it’s going to be a very sad end.”
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