At least 35 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, including 12 guarding incoming aid lorries, local medics and the Hamas-run Civil Defence authority say.
The Israeli military said it “conducted precise strikes on armed Hamas terrorists” who had planned to hijack the lorries.
“The occupation once again targeted those securing the aid trucks,” Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told the AFP news agency.
Hamas says Israeli military strikes have killed at least 700 police tasked with securing aid lorries in Gaza since the latest war began on 7 October 2023.
Separately, Israeli air strikes on two homes near Nuseirat refugee camp, in central Gaza, and Gaza City, in the north, killed 21 more people, the Civil Defence said.
Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 35 Palestinians, including 12 who were escorting incoming aid trucks, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defense authority and local medical professionals.
A strike in Rafah killed seven guards who were defending aid trucks against violent armed theft, which UN officials say is the biggest barrier to delivering supplies to southern Gaza. Five guards in Khan Younis were killed in another attack.
When the armed Hamas terrorists attempted to take control of the trucks, the Israeli military claimed to have “conducted precise strikes on them.”.
According to the Civil Defense, fifteen people were killed in a separate Israeli attack close to the Nuseirat refugee camp.
According to Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Basal, “the occupation once again targeted those securing the aid trucks,” as reported by AFP.
About 30 people were also injured in the two strikes, he added, the majority of them children.
According to Mr. Basal, the lorries were transporting flour to UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) warehouses.
The primary barrier to delivering aid to the southern region of Gaza, according to UN workers, has been violent armed thefts in the midst of acute food shortages. Hamas police remnants and civilians have banded together to try to stop the gangs.
Since the most recent war started on October 7, 2023, Hamas claims that Israeli military strikes have killed at least 700 police officers assigned to guard aid trucks in Gaza.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the following statement: “The IDF carried out targeted strikes on armed Hamas terrorists who were assembled at two separate gathering spots in southern Gaza overnight after receiving intelligence reports indicating the presence of Hamas terrorists. “.
It further stated that “all of the terrorists that were killed were Hamas members and intended to violently take over aid trucks and give them to Hamas.”.
21 additional people were killed by Israeli airstrikes on two houses close to the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza and Gaza City in the north, according to the Civil Defense.
According to Mr. Basal, the bodies of six additional people were discovered following an attack on an apartment in Gaza City, while at least six children were among the fifteen people slain in Nuseirat.
On October 7, 2023, the Palestinian organization Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage. In response, Israel began a campaign to destroy Hamas.
Since then, Gaza’s health ministry, which is run by Hamas, has reported that over 44,800 people have died there.
There is a possibility for a new agreement that would permit the return of all the remaining hostages, including American nationals, Israel’s defense minister told his US counterpart after months of fruitless international attempts to end the conflict.
A limited agreement with Hamas is reportedly being discussed, according to other reports.
