Israeli fire kills 12 in Gaza, including five near aid distribution points

Israeli fire and airstrikes have killed at least 12 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip, including five near aid distribution sites operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), medical sources said on Sunday.

Medics at Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza said three people were killed and dozens injured by Israeli gunfire as they approached a GHF aid site near the Netzarim corridor.

Two more were killed near another GHF location in Rafah, in the southern part of the enclave, according to Wafa news agency and Al Jazeera. Witnesses said they were waiting for food when Israeli troops opened fire.

Elsewhere, seven people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the northern town of Beit Lahiya, medics reported. The Israeli military has not commented on the incidents.

The number of Palestinians killed while trying to access humanitarian assistance has risen in recent weeks, amid repeated strikes near aid points.

Recounting violence at aid sites in Gaza

Since GHF began operating on May 27, over 130 people have been killed and more than 700 injured while trying to access aid, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Read: Israeli forces seize Gaza-bound humanitarian vessel Madleen in international waters

The Israeli military said troops responded to individuals who “advanced in a threatening way” in an area designated an “active combat zone”. Witnesses dispute this, saying the shooting occurred in daylight and that no warning was issued.

UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, condemned the GHF operation as “humanitarian camouflage” and “an essential tactic of this genocide”. She accused Western powers of enabling the continued destruction of Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza

According to the Gaza-based health authorities, at least 55,207 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of whom are reported to be women and children.

Israel has killed 4,603 Palestinians and injured 14,186 since breaking a ceasefire in March this year, it added.

Israel’s atrocities have displaced around 90% of Gaza’s estimated 2 million residents, created a severe hunger crisis, and caused widespread destruction across the territory.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November 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