Aid seekers among 71 dead due to Israeli strikes on Gaza

Israeli forces killed 71 Palestinians in Gaza since dawn on June 24th, including 50 aid seekers, Middle East Eye reported on June 24th.

Gaza hospital sources shared the figures with Al Jazeera Arabic. In a separate attack near aid centres north of Rafah, 25 people died, according to emergency officials. The United Nations denounced what it called the “weaponisation of food” in Gaza. It warned that these actions by Israel’s military may constitute a war crime.

Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers opened fire near an aid distribution point northwest of Rafah, killing 10. Witnesses said large crowds were waiting to receive essential supplies.

Additionally, on June 23rd, at least 21 Palestinians were killed as Israeli forces launched strikes across Gaza, including in areas where civilians had gathered for aid, Middle East Eye via Wafa news agency reported. As Maghrebi cited, airstrikes also hit a home in Jabalia al-Balad, killing four people and wounding others.

According to a report by Middle East Eye on June 24th, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) chief Philippe Lazzarini condemned the US-backed Gaza aid system, calling it “an abomination.”

He spoke at a press conference in Berlin and said the system humiliates Gaza’s population and worsens their suffering. Lazzarini warned that the system acts as a “death trap.”

Conflict surrounding aid sites has been ongoing. Palestinians reported being shot at near a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) site in Rafah on June 9th, the BBC reported and Maghrebi cited. Witnesses said both Israeli troops and armed Palestinian men opened fire. Some claimed the masked gunmen operated with Israeli forces and later withdrew into an Israeli military zone.

Gaza’s health ministry confirmed six people were killed and 99 injured. The GHF said the Rafah site remained closed on June 9th, while two other centres operated without any incidents. Israel’s military stated it was reviewing the reports amid ongoing scrutiny of the GHF’s distribution efforts.

BBC, Middle East Eye, Wafa news agency, Maghrebi.org