At least 85 people have died while attempting to reach aid distribution points across Gaza, according to the Palestinian territory’s health ministry, reports Breaking News.
This marks the deadliest day so far for those seeking aid in more than 21 months of conflict.
Concern grew as Israel’s military issued evacuation orders for parts of central Gaza, a region where it has rarely deployed ground forces and where many international groups are trying to deliver aid.
One aid organisation reported that several groups’ offices were ordered to evacuate immediately, reports Breaking News.
The highest number of deaths occurred in northern Gaza, where the health ministry and local hospitals said at least 79 Palestinians were killed while trying to access aid arriving through the Zikim crossing with Israel.
The UN World Food Programme stated that 25 aid trucks had entered for “starving communities” when large crowds gathered and gunfire broke out, reports Breaking News.
A UN official said Israeli forces fired at crowds attempting to take food from the convoy. UN footage shared with the Associated Press showed Palestinian men fleeing as automatic gunfire was heard.
“Suddenly, tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for around two hours,” said Ehab Al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour, reports Breaking News.
“I will never go back again. Let us die of hunger, it’s better.”
Nafiz Al-Najjar, who was wounded, said tanks and drones targeted people “randomly” and that he witnessed his cousin and others being shot dead, reports Breaking News.
Israel’s military stated soldiers fired at thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat and acknowledged some casualties. However, it said Gaza officials’ casualty figures were much higher than what their initial investigation showed.
The military claimed it was trying to facilitate aid deliveries and accused Hamas militants of causing chaos and putting civilians at risk, reports Breaking News.
Hospitals reported that over 150 people were injured overall, some critically.
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Separately, seven Palestinians, including a five-year-old boy, were killed while sheltering in tents in Khan Younis in the south, according to the Kuwait Specialised Field Hospital, which treated the victims, reports Breaking News.
The deaths in northern Gaza did not occur near aid points linked to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US and Israel-supported group recently established.
Witnesses and health workers say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while trying to reach the foundation’s aid sites, reports Breaking News.
The new evacuation orders cut off access between Deir al-Balah in central Gaza and Rafah and Khan Younis in the south. The military also repeated evacuation orders for northern Gaza.
The United Nations has contacted Israeli officials to clarify whether UN sites in southwestern Deir al-Balah are included in the evacuation order, a UN official said, reports Breaking News.
The official noted that UN facilities have been spared in previous evacuation orders.
The current order covers an area from a previously evacuated zone to the Mediterranean coast, severely restricting movement for aid workers and civilians, reports Breaking News.
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said several humanitarian organisations’ offices and guesthouses were told to evacuate immediately and that nine clinics, including MAP’s, had to close.
Military spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged people to move to the Muwasi area, a barren tent camp on Gaza’s southern coast designated by Israel’s military as a humanitarian zone, reports Breaking News.
This announcement came amid ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Qatar, though international mediators report no progress.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that increasing military operations in Gaza will pressure Hamas during negotiations, reports Breaking News.
Earlier this month, Israel’s military announced it controlled more than 65% of Gaza.
Gaza’s population of over two million Palestinians faces a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, relying heavily on limited aid entering the territory. Many have been displaced multiple times, reports Breaking News.
Hamas initiated the war when militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing roughly 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. Fifty remain in Gaza, with fewer than half believed alive.
Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 58,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not specify militant casualties but says over half of the dead are women and children.
The ministry is affiliated with Hamas, yet the UN and other international bodies consider it the most reliable source of casualty data, reports Breaking News.
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