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At least 72 Palestinians were killed and more than 350 others injured in attacks across Gaza over the past 24 hours as Israel continues to intensify its aerial and ground offensive ahead of its imminent operation to occupy Gaza City.
Local health officials said on Thursday that at least 27 people were killed in attacks on the city and were taken to morgues at nearby hospitals. The attacks come just a few days after the IDF said it was readying its forces to begin operations soon.
Residents say Israeli troops opened fire as well as carried out aerial attacks on the city in the north of the enclave. It comes just days after the Israeli army issued evacuation orders to residents of the area, directing them to move to the south of the Strip.
Many have complied with the orders and began making their way down to southern areas like Khan Younis, but many others have refused to relocate, citing a lack of funding and space to accommodate them.
Elsewhere in Gaza, at least seven Palestinians seeking aid were killed in Khan Younis on Thursday as they made their way to aid distribution hubs, operated by the Delaware-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
It’s the latest in a series of violent incidents surrounding the Israeli-backed US initiative, which has so far refuted allegations of violence occurring at its sites.
Eyewitnesses say Israeli troops opened fire indiscriminately at crowds of Palestinians headed down designated routes to reach the GHF hub.
The IDF has not commented on the latest incident, but has routinely rejected similar accusations, claiming they only fire warning shots to maintain order.
The GHF began operations in late May in an Israeli effort to replace traditional UN systems after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the UN of harbouring Hamas combatants within its workforce and Hamas of looting UN supplies intended for civilians, without presenting any evidence to support the claims.
The UN has rejected the allegations saying there have been no instances of looting, asserting that its operations are secure.
The UN has also accused Israel of manufacturing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza after it imposed limits on its operations, effectively cutting access to food for hundreds of thousands of Gazans.
The UN also warned that more than 90% of the Strip’s population are facing the risk of famine, stressing that immediate action is required to avoid an already grim crisis from deteriorating further.
Their warnings started months before famine was officially declared in Gaza by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) on 22 August.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Hamas took 251 people as hostages, and is currently still holding 50, of whom 20 are believed to be alive.
The Gaza Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed at least 64,718 Palestinians throughout the course of their 23-month offensive.
Their figures do not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, but the UN says more than two-thirds of deaths it has been able to independently verify were women and children.
Additional sources • AP